B Mirror Report: During the strike, the port’s three main terminals General Cargo Berth (GCB), Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), and New Mooring Container Terminal remained completely shut. From this morning, loading and unloading of containers and goods from ships has resumed at these terminals.

According to reports, from 8:00 am today, operations began across the jetty, yard, terminals, administrative buildings, as well as the outer lighterage area. These activities had been halted on Sunday due to the work stoppage.

Late Sunday night, the striking workers announced the suspension of their program in a press release.

The notice stated that, in line with the declaration by BIDAR Chairman Ashik Chowdhury that no NCIT contract will be executed during the interim government’s tenure, the decision was taken in the interest of clearing election- and Ramadan-related goods. However, if the port authority and administration do not resolve issues such as false cases, arrests, punitive transfers, cancellation of housing allocations, and the temporary suspension of 16 employees, a new program will be announced.

Humayun Kabir, coordinator of the Chittagong Port Protection Struggle Committee, told media, “It has been stated that the leasing of NCIT to foreign companies will not be pushed forward during this government’s tenure. We consider this a preliminary victory. Taking everything into account, the program has been suspended. From 8:00 am today, the workers have resumed their duties.”

Previously, continuous work stoppages had paralyzed Chittagong Port. In protest against the leasing of NCIT, workers began an indefinite strike last Saturday, nearly halting the country’s import-export trade through its main seaport. The strike’s suspension has brought relief to port users. After 8:00 am, the port gradually overcame its standstill and returned to normal operations. However, officials note that recovering from the losses incurred during the seven days of closure will be challenging.