The Chattogram Port Authority has extended the deadline for loading containers with ready made garment (RMG) exports into ships by 24 hours, effective for six months from September this year to February 2025.
Exporters and carriers can bring in garments to the port yard 24 hours before the estimated departure time of the intended ship, against the previous requirement of completing loading activities 48 hours before the departure.
This extension is a response to a request from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
According to the BGMEA, previously, the lead time for garment exports was 120 days. However, foreign buyers have now reduced this period to 60 days, putting pressure on exporters to meet tighter deadlines.
Without the extension, up to 30% of garment sector shipments could be delayed, potentially leading to significant financial losses and forfeited export earnings, according to garment exporters.
According to BGMEA Vice President Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, many a time delays occur in taking product-laden containers to the Chattogram inland depot. Shortage of available containers and other issues cause the delays that sometimes ultimately results in the containers not being loaded into ships at all. Extension of the cut-off time has erased those chances, he noted.
Since the implementation of the cut-off time rule on 4 April 2013, Chattogram Port has required containers to be delivered by specific times to ensure efficient loading before ships depart.
Under the standard regulations, containers must arrive at the port by 7:30am for day tides and by 8:00pm for night tides.
With the newly announced relaxation, the cut-off time has been extended. For day tides, containers can now be delivered up until 7:30am the following day, and for night tides, the deadline extends to 8:00pm the next day. This adjustment provides a full 24-hour window for both tides.
