Maersk to ease Chittagong clogging with inland container depot

DANISH shipping giant Maersk plans to construct an inland container depot (ICD) near Chittagong port, in a bid to ease congestion at Bangladesh's leading harbour, reports Thomson Financial.

Maersk Bangladesh Ltd plans to invest US$20 million in building a 25-acre container depot next year in south eastern Bangladesh, said general manager Nurul Alam in an Agence France-Presse dispatch.

"We will build the inland container depot outside Chittagong port. It has become critically important to build the ICD to avoid congestion at Chittagong port," said Mr Nurul Alam.

Chittagong port handles 90 per cent of Bangladesh's foreign trade, which is said to be worth more than $29 billion annually, with Maersk handling around 30 per cent of Bangladesh's foreign trade, making it the country's top shipping operator.

Chittagong port has seen its container volumes double in the past five years, adding to its congestion woes.