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International Cooperation Department
Tel.: (+86-21) 65853850-8034
Fax: (+86-21) 65373125
E-mail: ICDept@sisi-smu.org
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Ports |
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| The country explodes in chaos! Ports paralysed, cargo halted! Maersk emergency alert. |
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Date:2024-07-24 Readers:
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In recent days, protests have erupted in Bangladesh for four weeks, fuelling social unrest. The government has taken a number of emergency measures to try to quell the unrest, but the freight logistics system continues to be hard hit, with ports and air cargo in disarray. Maersk has issued a warning that its operations in Bangladesh have come to a standstill due to the protests and curfew measures, and is facing challenges such as disruption to its online systems and manpower shortages.
Recently, the ongoing nationwide protest marches in Bangladesh entered their fourth week and have yet to show signs of subsiding. The student protests, triggered by dissatisfaction with the government's reinstatement of the "civil service quota system," have quickly spread and turned into violent clashes across the country. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on 22 July, the clashes have left at least 163 people dead and increased social unrest.
In response to the situation, the Bangladeshi government has taken a number of emergency measures, including imposing curfews, disrupting mobile and internet services, closing schools, and mobilising the army for deployment in an attempt to quell the escalating unrest. However, these measures do not appear to have been effective in curbing the spread of protests and the escalation of violence.
Against this backdrop, Bangladesh's freight logistics system has suffered a severe shock and is in a state of disarray. In the case of port transport, although cargo handling was barely maintained, road closures prevented the normal flow of goods as "no boxes could be shipped out of the port area". At the same time, the port system was paralysed by the shock, and staffing constraints further exacerbated the congestion in the port. As more ships arrive, port congestion is expected to continue to worsen, with customs clearance and cargo delivery facing unprecedented challenges.
In addition, air cargo has not been spared. Due to the inability of the customs system to function properly, air cargo movement has come to a complete halt. Coupled with strike action by customs clearance and freight forwarding staff, the air transport industry is in an even more difficult situation.
Maersk emergency warning: operations disrupted
On 22 July, Maersk's official website was updated with early warning information about the current situation in Bangladesh. Maersk's operations in Bangladesh continue to be at a standstill as a result of the curfew imposed by the government due to the ongoing nationwide protests and internet outages.
The imposition of the curfew has not only restricted movement but also caused disruption to online systems and platforms for all stakeholders in the supply chain. Customs systems in particular are not functioning properly and air cargo movement has come to a complete halt until internet systems are restored.
At the same time, manpower at the ports was extremely limited and the ports' online systems remained paralysed, preventing new online processing or approval updates. Import General Manifests (IGMs) can only be submitted manually by the team to the port authority, but approval or rejection is very erratic due to understaffing.
In addition, the availability of trucks and manpower has been severely impacted by the strict curfews imposed across the region, with Container Freight Stations (CFS) unable to operate at full capacity. Despite these daunting challenges, the Maersk team is working tirelessly to ensure that cargo can continue to be transported, while also working closely with partners and authorities to put in place special processes to safeguard the smooth movement of cargo. The Maersk team will continue to monitor the situation and regularly supervise the unloading of the CFS, taking into account available resources and safety and security conditions.
https://www.cnss.com.cn/html/gkdt/20240724/354179.html
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