Dhaka, Aug. 12 -- Chattogram port is grappling with severe congestion both at its container yards and at the outer anchorage, disrupting the smooth loading and unloading of vessels, officials said.

Currently, around 45,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers are piled up in the port's yards, which have a total capacity of about 53,000 TEUs.

For efficient operations, port officials say at least 20 per cent of the yard space should remain free at all times.

At the same time, nearly a dozen container ships are anchored at the port's outer anchorage, with waiting times ranging from three to six days, according to official port data. Gearless vessels reportedly face even longer delays.

Officials attribute the build-up of cont...