Members are alerted to the poor state of fenders at berths in Chittagong, which may give rise to both ship and shore damage. The situation is serious and it is a risk that a pollution or other significant event could follow. The situation Chittagong is the main gateway for Bangladesh's seaborne trade and handles the majority of the country's imports and exports. As such it is a very busy place and members calling there will be aware of a number of challenges that require keen attention for the duration of any port of call. Most recently the Association was made aware of a serious problem affecting the fendering at some of the berths and jetties. The basic construction is of two vertical steel "I" bars, that are meant to have solid timber fronts so that there would be no direct steel to steel contact between the ship's hull and the fender steel structure. Unfortunately a number of locations show these arrangements to be in a poor state of repair, with badly maintained sections, broken sections and places where the timber is altogether missing. This situation represents risks to both ship and shore, particularly the risks of: hull damage ingress of water in to the vessel's structure oil / other pollution should fuel or cargo tanks be damaged damage to shore side In the Loss Prevention Bulletin of PandiAsia, reproduced alongside this advisory, the situation is explained in greater detail. Even members familiar with Chittagong should make reference to the same before the next port of call. Loss prevention advice Should members consider calling at Chittagong, or should a vessel be ordered there, then it would be prudent to contact agents in advance to check which berth / jetty the vessel is likely to be brought in to, and to have a visual check conducted in advance of berthing. If the general arrangement should be found to be of concern, then the vessel should not proceed in to berth until a further risk assessment is carried out and the berthing arrangement is considere