Workers and employees at Chattogram Port have now announced an indefinite work stoppage, escalating protests against the decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to UAE-based company DP World. The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon during a media briefing near the port building by leaders of the Chattogram Port Protection Movement, including coordinators Md. Humayun Kabir and Ibrahim Khokon.

The port had already been facing disruptions after workers observed eight-hour strikes for three consecutive days starting Saturday, followed by a 24-hour strike beginning at 8:00am on Tuesday. Before that program even ended, protest leaders declared an open-ended strike, further prolonging the paralysis at the country’s largest seaport.

At the briefing, Humayun Kabir said they had considered easing the protests due to the holy occasion of Shab-e-Barat. However, he alleged that senior officials—including the chief adviser’s special envoy on international affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, BIDA Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, and National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman—were pressuring the negotiation committee at the BIDA office in Dhaka. He claimed discussions had moved from container handling charges to revenue-sharing, warning that such a move could quickly turn the port into a loss-making entity and calling it a “self-destructive decision.”

Ibrahim Khokon added that port officials were being effectively confined in Dhaka and pressured to sign an agreement. Given the situation, he said, there was no scope to relax the movement, and the strike would continue indefinitely.

Vessel movements halted

On the fourth day of protests, Chattogram Port came to a near standstill from Tuesday morning. Demonstrators blocked ship movements at the main jetty, preventing six scheduled vessels from berthing or departing. Only three ships were handled at Patenga’s RSGT terminal and two specialized jetties.

Previously, while cargo handling and container loading and unloading had been suspended due to strikes, ship arrivals and departures were still allowed. Tuesday marked the first time vessel movement at the main jetty was completely stopped, intensifying the shutdown.

Port officials said ship movements depend on pilots and support vessels such as tugboats, which are coordinated by the dock office. According to port sources, protesters began demonstrations at the dock office around 10:00am, forcing staff out and locking the office from outside. As a result, no vessels could be dispatched to transport pilots.

Between 10:00am and 2:30pm—during the tidal window—six ships were scheduled to move at the General Cargo Berth, Chittagong Container Terminal, and New Mooring Container Terminal. None of those operations could be carried out due to the ongoing protest.