Ctg port suspends clearance of scrap iron container over radiation alert

Chattogram Port authorities have detected low-level radioactivity in a scrap iron container imported from Brazil. The container was flagged by the port’s ‘Megaport Initiative Radiation Detection System,’ leading customs officials to suspend its clearance and isolate it.

The container, which traveled from Manaus, Brazil, via four international ports, arrived in Chattogram on August 3. No previous ports detected any radioactivity. According to international regulations, containers with high radiation must be sent back to the origin country.

Al Aqsa Steel Mills Limited, a steel manufacturing company in Demra, Dhaka, imported five containers totaling 135 tons of scrap metal from Brazil. The flagged container is one of these five. It was unloaded from the ship MV Mount Cameron at the GCB terminal on August 3.

Preliminary tests showed radiation levels of one microsievert—considered low but requiring caution. Officials noted that precise measurements are difficult due to interference from scrap metal and container materials.

Md. Omar Faruk, Secretary of Chattogram Port Authority, said authorities have informed the Atomic Energy Commission, which will conduct further tests before deciding on necessary actions.