Chattogram Custom House has taken an initiative to reduce the congestion at Chittagong Port by auctioning more than 6,000 containers lying at Chittagong Port for many years.

A discussion meeting was held recently at the conference room of Chittagong Port with Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain in the chair.

The meeting was attended by NBR chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan, members of the National Board of Revenue, Commissioner of Customs House, Chittagong and other officials and officials of the Chittagong Port Authority.

The discussion meeting discussed the progress of the sale of 6069 containers lying at Chittagong Port for a long time through auction, according to an NBR press release.

The NBR Chairman informed the meeting that the National Board of Revenue has issued a special order to remove legal complications in the auction sale of a large number of containers lying at the Chittagong Port for a long time as soon as possible.

According to the press release, a provision has been made through a special order to hand over the auctioned goods to the highest bidder of the first auction.

This will not require repeated auctions and it will be possible to remove the goods lying at the port for a long time in the first auction as soon as possible, he told the meeting.

Meanwhile, 79 officials deployed by the NBR  have worked tirelessly for the past 6 months and completed the inventory of 5143 containers lying at the Chittagong Port for a long time. The remaining 926 containers will be completed by October, 2025.

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Besides, initiatives have been taken to dispose of 5250 containers out of 6069 through auction by June, 2026.

Auction notices have already been published in several national newspapers, which have been widely circulated through electronic media. This auction work will continue uninterruptedly.

The NBR Chairman reiterated his commitment that by conducting auction work regularly, the Chattogram Custom House will resolve the existing container congestion at the Chittagong Port and will play a positive role in preventing unnecessary container congestion at the port in the future.

The meeting expressed optimism that if the Chittagong Port container congestion is free, the capacity of the port will increase, waiting time at the port will be reduced, the costs of importers and exporters will be reduced, and the general public of the country will benefit by reducing the price of goods.

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The Shipping Adviser expressed satisfaction with the sincerity shown by Chattogram Custom House in promptly initiating the auction process by conducting an inventory of a large number of long-pending containers at the port. 

He thanked the NBR and all officers and employees involved in this challenging task, the press release added.