Dhaka, May 27 -- Container congestion at Chattogram Port continues to worsen, as clearance delays and vessel queues persist despite customs officers returning to duty after a nationwide walkout.

Although the port can hold up to 53,518 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), it usually operates with around 30,000 to 35,000 containers in the yard.

Under normal conditions, around 4,000 containers are cleared each day.

The disruption began on May 14, when customs officials launched a pen-down protest that brought key processes like duty assessment, bill of entry submissions and physical inspections to a near standstill.

As a result, clearance rates plummeted and the backlog began to mount.

While customs resumed full operations on Monday, co...