Bangladesh’s premier maritime gateway, Chittagong Port, is confronting severe safety and environmental hazards due to 323 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) of dangerous chemicals left abandoned across its yards and jetties for up to 15 to 20 years.
Port and customs officials warned that at least 44 of these containers are severely dilapidated and actively leaking, raising grave concerns of massive fires, explosions, or toxic chemical contamination. Drawing stark parallels to the catastrophic 2020 Beirut port explosion—which killed over 200 people due to unsafely stored ammonium nitrate—officials highlighted that the containers house highly volatile substances, including sulfuric acid, nitric acid, methanol, thinner, and industrial solvents.
In response to letters sent by Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim to the Custom Commissioner, CPA and Chittagong Custom House have initiated emergency joint clearance operations. During the initial experimental phase, nine containers containing 150.89 tons of chemicals were dispatched to Wata Chemicals Limited in Rupganj, Narayanganj, where eight containers have already been safely neutralized. Custom House Assistant Commissioner Sharif Mohammad Al Amin stated that an inter-ministerial committee has been formed to dispose of the remaining inventory, combining public auctions under Public Procurement Rules (PPR) for usable chemicals with high-temperature destruction for expired or unsafe stocks. Environmental organizations, including the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), have called for immediate containment to prevent catastrophic soil, water, and atmospheric pollution.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Staff Reporter • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
