Bangladesh’s cement industry is facing mounting challenges in handling imported clinker due to a shortage of lighter vessels required to unload bulk cargo at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port. The situation has created delays in raw material supply and added pressure to an already congested logistics chain.
The Bangladesh Shipping Circle has highlighted persistent difficulties in discharging cargo from mother vessels anchored offshore. Importers have been accused of using lighter vessels as floating storage facilities, preventing their timely release to other users and worsening congestion. The problem is compounded by the fact that most lighter vessels are gearless and lack onboard cranes, slowing cargo handling operations.
According to industry sources, around 720 lighter vessels carrying an estimated 1.1Mt of imported goods are currently stranded across rivers and inland waterways. These vessels are transporting a wide range of essential commodities and industrial inputs, including cement clinker, gypsum, coal, fly ash, urea, edible oil, sugar, pulses and stone.
Engineer Mehbub Kabir, general secretary of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association, said the problem intensifies every year ahead of Ramadan, when import volumes typically rise. He noted that some importers deliberately delay unloading and keep cargo at their own facilities, further restricting vessel availability. Ramadan is expected to begin next month.
Meanwhile, Chittagong Port Authority data from January 21 shows about 134 vessels at the outer anchorage, including several carrying cement clinker, with only a portion actively engaged in unloading operations.
By Abdul Rab Siddiqi, Pakistan
