A large number of containers with export cargoes remained stuck up at private container depots meant for Chittagong Port until Tuesday causing a serious uncertainty over shipments.

Some 3,140 containers with export cargoes were stuck up at the country's 16 private inland container depots over the past four days since Saturday, sources at the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA) told the FE.

Top executives at the depots that handle more than 95 per cent of Bangladesh's US$28 billion exports said the blockade would add at least 1,000 more containers until Thursday next when the week-long blockade programme will come to an end.

"This (blockade and shut-downs) is disabling entire cargo movement to and from the Chittagong port," said Nurul Qyuum Khan, BICDA president and managing director of the QNS Depot.

Depots usually seek police escorts while sending cargoes to Chittagong port but getting police escorts has now become difficult.

"Police stations always refuse to give the minimum number of police personnel required under such type of political turmoil in the country," said an official of the depots, which are mostly located around the port.

Mr Khan, however, said many will miss shipment following such type of piling up of export-laden containers in the depots.

Exporters usually try to get next vessels after failing to avail the scheduled ship. It requires additional documentation and faces other types of complexities.

But, uncertainty looms large over linkages with mother vessels in Singapore or Colombo as the mother ships do not wait for small number of containers.

Mr Khan said this is potentially affecting the country's exports.

The depots are now stuffing export cargoes into containers from its available exportable goods that remained in the warehouses.

But the exportable goods at the depot warehouses are depleting fast following lack of arrival of fresh cargoes.

BICDA sources said around 3,000 covered vans should have entered the depots to maintain usual movement of containers.

But movement of covered vans now has become very thin.

Currently, the depots are sending on an average 700 containers to the Chittagong port for shipment amid different types of risks.

Usually the depots send on an average 1,300 export containers to the port for shipment.

Imran Fahim Noor, vice president at the BICDA said the number of empty containers is also thinning in the wake of ongoing blockade programmes.

"We're not getting containers with imported cargoes. This is creating shortages of empty containers needed to be filled with  export cargoes," Mr Noor said.

In case of failure in connecting mother vessels, local exporters are forced to go for expensive air shipments from either Singapore or Colombo.

Our Chittagong correspondent adds: The export-oriented readymade garment (RMG) sector and other industries have already failed to load cargoes in Singapore, Colombo and Malaysia-bound feeder vessels to connect mother vessels as they are facing severe crisis in transportation of cargoes from different parts of the country including the capital.

Shipping sources said ships which will arrive in the port on Tuesday and Wednesday will get maximum 50 per cent booking for cargo load. A Singapore-bound ship with capacity of 1200 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent unit) container will sail from Chittagong Port with 700-800 TEUs container on Wednesday, sources said.

 "Cargo booking has fallen by about 30 per cent compared to normal time," said the operation manager of an MLO (main line operator).

Blockade also has left some 0.35 million tons of import cargoes stranded at the port and its adjacent areas in the Karnaphuli river until Monday, an importer said.

Abul Bashar Chowdhury, a leading commodity importer in the port city, said he had imported 8,000 metric tons of pulse two weeks ago but the cargo is now stuck up at Majhirghat inland jetty ghat.

Senior vice president of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association Kamal Hayat said businesses including shippers, exporters and industrialists have been suffering a lot due to the opposition programme.