Dhaka, Feb. 3 -- The shipping ministry has ordered importers to clear cargo from lighter vessels within three days or face legal action.

The directive came from Shipping Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain at an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday at the ministry that addressed the ongoing crisis in cargo handling from mother vessels.

Importers and cargo agents who fail to unload goods on time will be listed by the shipping department and the commerce ministry will consider revoking their licences.

The ministry said some importers, including Akij Group, SS Trading, and Nabil Group, were keeping goods on board, effectively using vessels as "floating warehouses".

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