Container handling at the Chittagong port increased by 5.1% for the fiscal year 2021–22, which concluded on June 30. Despite challenges like a recent catastrophic fire at a private depot and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the port’s cargo handling saw a gain of nearly 4 percent and ship handling saw a growth of 4.2 percent. The port handled 3.255 million TEU in the most recent fiscal year, an increase of 160,000 TEU from the year before. In the recently completed year, cargo handling increased to 118.17 million tonnes from 113.72 million tonnes.
In the same period, the prime seaport of Bangladesh saw 4,231 vessels comprising container ships, bulk carriers, and oil tankers against 4,062 vessels in 2020-21.
“The growth trend is expected to continue this year, too,” said Omar Faruk, secretary and spokesperson for the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA). With the port’s handling growing, Bangladesh’s export oriented sectors have also attained record earnings of US$52 billion in the last fiscal year registering a 34% growth despite war linked global trade disruptions.
