Chattogram Port at standstill as dispute intensifies

A strike by workers and employees at Chattogram Port resumed on Sunday, once again bringing operations at the country’s principal seaport to a standstill. The renewed shutdown comes amid escalating tensions between port authorities and protesting workers over the process of handing over the management of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to Dubai-based firm DP World.

Port Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman defended the move as part of a modernisation drive, questioning why unrest had begun before negotiations were concluded. “No contract has been signed yet. Attempting to derail a premature process in this manner appears to me to be an anti-national act,” he said, adding that negotiations were under way within a government-to-government framework.

Addressing an emergency press conference at the port premises on Sunday afternoon, the chairman said the “landlord port model” was a global standard, citing India where around 70 per cent of ports are operated by foreign operators. He noted that DP World currently operates five ports in India. He also claimed that the capacity of NCT’s existing equipment had fallen to 70 per cent, hampering efficiency, and warned that without modernisation the port would fall behind in international competition.

In contrast, leaders of the Chattogram Port Protection Movement Council alleged that the government and port authorities were attempting to suppress the movement through force rather than dialogue. The council’s coordinator, Ibrahim Khokon, claimed that four influential labour leaders had been picked up overnight between Saturday and Sunday by individuals identifying themselves as members of the Detective Branch (DB).

The leaders named were Abul Kalam, Shamsul Mia Tuku, Ripon and Asadul. “The chairman says negotiations are ongoing, yet our leaders are being taken away under cover of darkness,” Khokon said. He also alleged that letters had been sent to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking investigations into the assets of 15 labour leaders and that they had been transferred as part of pressure tactics. He warned that without dialogue the port would not resume operations.

However, neither Chattogram Metropolitan Police nor the Detective Branch officially confirmed the detention of the four leaders. Deputy Commissioner of Metropolitan Detective Police (North Zone) Kazi Abdur Rahim told journalists that none of their teams had detained anyone. The uncertainty has further fuelled fear and anger among workers.

Since Sunday morning, all operations at the port’s jetties and terminals have remained suspended. Around 80 large vessels, or mother ships, were stranded at the outer anchorage, halting the transfer of goods to lighter vessels. According to port data, more than 41,000 TEUs (20-feet equivalent units) are piled up in container yards, with no scope for unloading or delivery.

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Deal unlikely with DP World during interim govt tenure: Ashik

The Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) said export consignments could not be transported from depots to the port, leaving 13,483 containers stranded. The movement had been suspended for two days following assurances from Shipping Adviser Brigadier (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain during his visit to Chattogram on 5 February. However, the situation deteriorated again after ACC investigations and transfer orders were issued against labour leaders.

At 9:00pm on Sunday, the Port Protection Movement Council reaffirmed its decision to continue the strike. The stance was announced in a press release signed by coordinators Md Humayun Kabir and Ibrahim Khokon.

Meanwhile, housing allocations for 15 protesting employees have been cancelled for failing to rejoin work following transfer orders. The decision was communicated in an order signed by the port’s Director (Administration) on Sunday.

Separately, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury said there was little likelihood of signing an NCT lease agreement with DP World during the tenure of the interim government. Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy auditorium on Bailey Road in the capital on Sunday, he said negotiations with DP World were still ongoing and that the interim government had very limited time. The Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam was also present.

Earlier, on 5 February, Md Humayun Kabir, coordinator of the Port Protection Movement Council and a leader of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, accused Ashik Chowdhury of seeking a Tk6 billion commission by handing over Chattogram Port’s NCT to foreign operators, vowing to resist the move.

In another development, an application seeking leave to appeal has been filed against a High Court verdict that dismissed a writ challenging the legality of the NCT management deal with DP World. The application was submitted on Thursday by Mirza Walid Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Youth Economists Forum. His lawyer, Md Anwar Hossain, said the matter was scheduled to be heard in the Chamber Court on Monday.