Leaders of exporters’ associations, shipping lines and other stakeholders together held a meeting to devise a way out for resolving a crisis in sending export cargoes from Bangladesh, mainly caused by shortage of empty containers and vessels.
A press release on Wednesday said, the participants in the meeting put emphasize on government intervention to address the problem.
BGMEA president Faruque Hassan, vice President Md. Shahidullah Azim, vice president (finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, vice president Md. Nasir Uddin, directors Md. Mohiuddin Rubel, Asif Ibrahim, Abdullah Hil Rakib, Haroon Ar Rashid and Rajiv Chowdhury took part in the meeting held at BGMEA office in Dhaka recently. First vice president of BGMEA Syed Nazrul Islam and vice president Rakibul Alam Chowdhury also attended the meeting virtually.
The release said, shortage of empty containers, vessels and congestion at regional transshipment ports have led to severe crisis, hindering shipment of export cargoes to Europe and the USA.
Besides, empty container vessels are taking time to return to Bangladesh from the European and US ports due to slow unloading there, causing container and vessel shortage in the Chattagram port.
The release also said, in the meeting they decided to work together and seek the government’s intervention in the following issues to address the problem: directing authorities concerned not to increase any charges fixed by freight forwarders/shipping lines during Covid period, following appropriate methods while using empty containers and maintaining coordination among shipping line companies to ensure proper use of empty containers, requesting the port authority to allow more feeder vessels to berth at the port to address the container and vessel shortage and arranging an export yard on temporary basis to facilitate loading-unloading of cargoes at the private inland container depots (ICDs).
