Fuel crisis halts cargo handling at Mongla port, lighter vessels stranded

Cargo handling operations at Mongla port have ground to a halt as lighter vessels, used for transporting goods, face an acute fuel oil shortage. Without adequate fuel, these vessels cannot unload and transport goods from larger commercial ships anchored at the port, bringing normal operations to a standstill. Importers and businesses are now facing significant financial losses.

Lighter vessel owners allege that most vessels remain idle due to the fuel shortage, creating a crisis in cargo discharge from mother vessels. This has increased turnaround time for ships anchored at the outer anchorage. Importers are being forced to pay additional fines for extended stays beyond the scheduled period, causing severe disruption in unloading and transporting imported food grains, fertilisers and industrial raw materials.

Vessel owners said that since the start of the Middle East war, they have not been receiving adequate fuel from depots in Chattogram. State-owned fuel suppliers Padma, Jamuna and Meghna are providing limited quantities, far below the actual demand. The lighter vessel owners' association has written multiple letters to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, but no effective solution has been reached, leaving vessels stranded at the ghat.

At Mongla port's outer anchorage, goods including consumer products and industrial raw materials are transferred from large ships to lighter vessels, which then transport them via waterways to various ghats in Dhaka, Narayanganj and other parts of the country.

Hundreds of empty lighter vessels have been stranded in the Pashur river at Mongla port for several days. The same situation exists at ghats four and five in the Khulna-Rupsha area. The fuel crisis has made these vessels unable to move, creating a severe shortage of lighter vessels at the port. Consequently, cargo discharge from mother vessels has nearly stopped. Industries are facing raw material shortages and production has been disrupted.

Md Rezaul Islam, master of lighter vessel MV R Rashid-1, said, "We cannot go to discharge cargo from commercial ships at the port because we are not getting fuel. The vessel has been stranded in the Pashur river for about a week."

Azadul Haque, AGM of Sheikh Cement Factory, said, "Raw materials cannot be brought to the factory from ships at the port due to the fuel crisis. Production has completely stopped due to an acute shortage of raw materials. Workers are idle with no work."

Engineer Prabir Hira, Manager (Operations) of Meghna Petroleum Limited in Mongla, said, "We are trying to supply fuel to dealers. However, due to limited availability amid the war situation, we are supplying limited quantities as per government directives. There is no scope to supply more than the demand."