Dhaka, Feb. 4 -- The Chittagong port got off to a flying start in January by handling 13.28-per cent higher containers year on year, driven by a significant rise in the country's export and import trade.

According to port officials, the country's prime seaport handled a total of 263,614 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers this January, up from 232,709 TEUs in the same month of the previous year.

Data shows the port handled 75,234 TEUs of export goods-laden containers, 53,149 TEUs of empty outbound containers, 124,039 TEUs of import goods-laden containers, and 11,192 TEUs of empty inbound containers last month.

On the other hand, the port had handled 63,634 TEUs of export goods-laden containers, 49,139 TEUs of empty outbou...