Ctg port sees surge in January container handling

Highlights: 

• The port recorded a YoY 12.75% rise in imports, 13.84% in exports in Jan
• Officials attribute this growth to improved operations at Patenga Container Terminal
• Early-year momentum indicates a positive outlook for 2025
• The port saw a 7% rise in overall container handling in 2024 over 2023

Chattogram Port, the country's premier seaport, recorded a notable year-on-year increase in container handling in January this year, with imports rising by 12.75% and exports by 13.84%.

According to data from the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), total export container handling reached 1,28,383 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January, comprising 75,234 TEUs of loaded export containers and 53,149 TEUs of empty ones.

In comparison, January 2024 saw a total export container handling of 112,773 TEUs, including 63,634 TEUs of loaded containers and 49,139 TEUs of empty ones.

Import container handling also saw strong growth. In January 2025, the port processed 135,231 TEUs of import containers, consisting of 124,399 TEUs of cargo and 11,192 TEUs of empty containers.

A year earlier, in January 2024, total import handling stood at 119,936 TEUs, with 112,095 TEUs of cargo containers and 7,841 TEUs of empty ones.

CPA officials told TBS that this early-year growth signals a positive outlook for container handling in 2025. Enhanced operations at the newly functioning Patenga Container Terminal, along with various initiatives to boost activity at the Pangaon Container Terminal, are expected to contribute to sustained growth throughout the year.

Chattogram Port recorded more than a 7% year-on-year increase in overall container handling in 2024, processing a total of 32,75,627 TEUs, up from 30,50,793 TEUs in 2023.

However, in 2023, overall container handling declined by nearly 3% compared to 2022, when the port handled 31,42,504 TEUs.

Md Omar Faruk, secretary of the CPA, said, "Business has started to return to normal after overcoming various global and local crises. As a result, import and export activities have picked up steam, leading to higher container handling."

Additionally, various initiatives have been undertaken to accelerate port operations, and the positive outcomes are reflected in the port's performance, he added.