News
Congestion has been escalating since May at the Port of Chittagong in Bangladesh. The average length of time for a containership to berth has expanded to as much as 84 hours in July due to adverse weather conditions and insufficient cargo-handling equipment in operation. At the port, two gantry cranes have been out of service, involved in an accident.
To ease the situation, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) recently unveiled several plans. First, it intends to have large containerships call Chittagong only at night. The port authority also plans to create a container storage space at a nearby yard and install three new rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes to process containers there.
The severe congestion has prompted Asian Feeder Discussion Group AFDG) lines to introduce from July 1 a congestion surcharge of US$150 per loaded 20-foot container departing from Singapore, Port Klang and Colombo. CMA CGM followed suit imposing the equivalent surcharge on July 26 on cargo from African ports.
