The lighter vessel workers also stopped working expressing solidarity with the strikers, halting the cargo handling at the port. More than 57 large overseas vessels are waiting at the outer anchorage to unload over 1.3 million tonnes of imported goods and 986 lighter vessels are waiting to unload about 1.3 million tonnes of goods at several jetties at the Chattogram port, according to the authorities. The cargo handling at the outer anchorage remained suspended due the strike, said Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Omar Faruk. Usually, vessels carrying goods from the outer anchorage unload goods at 16 jetties on the Karnaphuli River and several other jetties in the country. A total of 986 vessels with 1.3 million tonnes of goods remained stranded at the port, said Mahbub Rashid, executive director of Water Transport Cell.

Source: bd News24 November 30, 2019 16:40 UTC