After a two-day disruption, import and export activities at Chittagong Port resumed in full swing from Monday (30 June) morning, following the withdrawal of a work stoppage program enforced by customs officials.

Operations at the country’s busiest seaport had come to a halt due to a 'shutdown' program initiated by the NBR Reform Unity Council, which led to the closure of all customs houses and stations across Bangladesh, including the Chittagong Custom House, from Saturday until 9:30 PM on Sunday.

 

As customs clearance is a prerequisite for any cargo movement at the port, the standoff had effectively paralyzed import-export operations.

Following a meeting between the NBR Reform Unity Council and top business leaders in Dhaka last night, the council announced the withdrawal of its program. Work resumed late Sunday, and full-scale port activities restarted Monday morning.

Saidul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Customs said, “Though operations began last night, all import-export activities are now fully active from this morning.”

One example of resumed activity was the ship MV Amalfi Bay, which had remained idle at the jetty since Sunday morning. After receiving customs clearance late Sunday night, unloading began, and by Monday morning, 310 containers had already been offloaded.

Loading and unloading processes for all ships previously stranded at the port are now underway. A container vessel carrying export goods also departed from the port earlier today.

Md. Omar Faruk, Secretary of Chittagong Port Authority, confirmed the development. “With the withdrawal of the customs officials' program, container handling, goods transfers, and clearance operations have resumed at full capacity,” he said.

Saiful Alam, President of the C&F Agents Association, also expressed relief over the resumption.

“There was a complete standstill in import-export operations for two days. Customs clearance and approval processes, including ship registration, resumed last night. With full-scale operations restarting today, we expect port activities to normalize within a few days.”

The disruption had caused significant concern among traders and exporters, as Chittagong Port handles over 90% of Bangladesh’s international trade.

Business communities welcomed the swift resolution and expressed hope that such deadlocks will be avoided in the future through constructive dialogue.