As major shipping lines have ceased carrying containers to Russian destinations, containers have begun to stockpile at Chittagong depots and factory premises in Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Authority (BICDA), 166 TEU of full containers, mostly holding clothes, are now lying at nine depots in Chittagong’s port city, while a large number of cargoes remain un-stuffed at depot warehouses.
Bangladesh has a one-billion-dollar yearly trade surplus with Russia, which is primarily comprised of clothing exports and wheat imports. According to BICDA secretary Ruhul Amin Sikder, no vessel nominations for containers heading for Saint Petersburg have been received because most of the major operators have avoided Russian ports.
