Four containers carrying 14-year-old hazardous flammable chemicals, that were imported to Chattogram port in 2012, have finally been cleared.
With the intervention of the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the close supervision and efforts of the Chittagong Port Authority, the containers were released to the auction bidders on October 27. This has brought relief to officials of the Chittagong Port Authority and the Ministry of Shipping.
The matter was confirmed on Tuesday noon. The work of unloading the containers started on Wednesday morning.
Earlier, on October 1, during a joint meeting of the port and customs, the Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority expressed concerns that if the four containers containing 93 metric tonnes of highly flammable Sodium Glycerolate (HS Code 29054500) were not removed quickly, the situation at Chittagong Port could become like that of Beirut, Lebanon. He requested the intervention of the NBR Chairman for the swift resolution of this matter.
In this context, the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue visited the Chittagong Port along with relevant members at the invitation of the Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority. During this visit, he held meetings and discussions with various stakeholders.
After the end of the joint meeting, the NBR Chairman instructed the custom officials and the commissioner to promptly identify the challenges regarding the unloading of the shipment, as well as any hindrance if they are on NBR level, and take measures to unload the containers within a short time.
Following the NBR Chairman's directive, the Customs House of Chittagong held an emergency meeting with the auction committee, and released the shipment to the auction bidder, Messrs SA Trading and Co, collecting a revenue of Tk 41 lakhs.
To prevent potential damage to property, the NBR Chairman spoke several times over the phone with the commissioner and the port chairman regarding this issue. At this stage, the auction bidder was also involved.
The unloading of the highly flammable and hazardous materials shipment has alleviated the long-standing concerns of the port. There is a sense of relief among customs and port officials and staff.
It is mentionable that attempts were made on several occasions to call for auction in order to release the containers that were imported on 2012. However, the matter could not be resolved for a long time due to various complications.
