Chattogram Port recorded an all-time high of 45,377 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of containers on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 44,231 TEUs set on May 20.

Despite a brief drop to 41,000 TEUs, unpaid import duties and a week-long customs strike have delayed unloading, exacerbating the congestion.

This has slowed the clearance of import containers and delayed the shipment of export containers, port officials reported.

In the past 24 hours, the port handled 9,520 TEUs, with 6,511 TEUs of import containers arriving and 62 TEUs from Dhaka’s Inland Container Depot (ICD).

Additionally, 2,695 TEUs of export containers and 807 TEUs of empty containers arrived from off-docks. On the outbound side, 3,009 TEUs were shipped, 76 TEUs were sent to Dhaka ICD, 1,150 TEUs of import goods were transferred to off-docks, and 954 TEUs of empty containers were dispatched.

Importers directly received 1,021 TEUs of goods on-board, while 1,368 TEUs were unloaded within the port.

Currently, 105 ships carrying containers and bulk goods are berthed at the port’s jetty and outer anchorage, with 67 actively unloading, compared to 111 ships on Monday.

Port officials attributed the congestion primarily to the recent customs strike, which disrupted container clearance.

Efforts are underway to address the backlog and restore normal operations.