Supply chain chaos across Bangladesh, the world’s third-largest exporter of clothing, has created the longest berthing delays anywhere across the globe. Some 50 ships are queuing in a 25 nautical mile stretch outside Chattogram port (see map below) following weeks of protests, curfews, internet outages, all of which culminated yesterday in the resignation of Sheikh Hasina after 15 years of leading Bangladesh. Hasina fled the country as protesters stormed her palace in Dhaka. The army has taken over as an interim government, but chaos remains across the Asian nation. Analysts at Linerlytica, an Asian container shipping consultancy, which tracks congestion around the world, told Splash today that Chattogram, which handles more than 90% of Bangladesh’s international trade, now has the worst berthing delays in the world, with many ships forced to wait in the Bay of Bengal for upwards of a week. Yesterday, container clearance at the port stood at just 1,175 teu, a stark decline from the typical daily clearance of top to 8,000 teu. The slowdown has been attributed to the ongoing student-led protests and the political turmoil that has gripped the country. Bangladeshi ports have been groaning under soaring traffic volumes in recent years, in line with the country’s emergence as a significant exporter, particularly for garments. Chattogram, also known as Chittagong, links the republic to the hinterland, in addition to providing sea access for the landlocked Himalayan countries Nepal, Bhutan and India’s northeast region. Disruptions in rail transport have impeded the flow of imported products and oil to Dhaka and other regions of the nation while cross-border links with neighbours including India and Bhutan have been closed for the past couple of days. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsBangladesh