The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has increased its container storage capacity by nearly 10% to ease severe congestion that has gripped the country’s main seaport over the past two months.

By freeing up additional yard space and repurposing two old sheds outside the main port area, the CPA has raised total storage capacity to 59,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), up from 53,518 TEUs, officials said. The update, however, has not yet been reflected in the official database.

As of yesterday, more than 88% of available space was occupied, with 47,463 TEUs in the yards. The problem is most acute for import containers, 95% of which are full container load (FCL).

Designed to hold 40,368 TEUs of FCL containers, the yards held 38,895 TEUs—over 96% of capacity.

Delays in transporting containers to Dhaka’s inland depots, caused largely by a shortage of railway locomotives, have worsened the congestion.

CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said deliveries and shipments were continuing smoothly despite the pressure.

The build-up follows weeks of setbacks, including the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, a nationwide strike by revenue officials, customs server disruptions, and repeated work stoppages by prime mover operators.