Workers strike at Chittagong port over New Mooring Container Terminal lease
Workers strike at Chittagong port over New Mooring Container Terminal lease. The disruption ran from 2026-01-31 (31 January 2026) to 2026-02-09 (9 February 2026), 10 days, affecting Chittagong. Chittagong averaged 3.9 calls per day during the event window against an expected 6.2 (-36.6%). Chittagong averaged 2.4 calls per day during the event window against an expected 3.6 (-34.2%).
Key facts
- Started
- 2026-01-31 (31 January 2026)
- Ended
- 2026-02-09 (9 February 2026)
- Status
- ended
- Type
- Labour action
- Severity
- 3 Significant
- Scope
- port
- Chokepoints
- None
- Ports
- Chittagong
- Lanes
- None
- Countries
- Bangladesh
- Confidence
- medium: Dates are consistent across Bangladeshi and trade press, but no official statement from Chattogram Port Authority or the government was retrieved, and the strike was suspended rather than settled, so the end date marks the resumption of work.
- First reported
- 2026-02-02 (2 February 2026)
- Severity basis: Port stoppage of seven days or more; port workers stopped cargo handling at Chittagong from 2026-02-02 to 2026-02-09, and the portwatch-port-calls series for Chittagong shows weekly means of 3.0 and 3.9 calls in the weeks from 2026-02-02 and 2026-02-09, against about 6 in preceding weeks.
What happened
Workers and employees at Chittagong (Chattogram), Bangladesh's main seaport, disrupted cargo handling from 2026-01-31 (31 January 2026) to protest a plan to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal to DP World. The action began with eight-hour stoppages on three days, became an indefinite strike from 2026-02-03 (3 February 2026), paused for two days after talks with the shipping adviser, and resumed on 2026-02-08 (8 February 2026). Operations restarted on 2026-02-09 (9 February 2026) after the government said the agreement would not be signed under the interim administration. Reports cited more than 41,000 TEU piled in terminal yards, thousands of export containers held at inland depots, and vessels waiting.
Measured effect
Port calls, Chittagong
- Baseline (expected)
- 6.2 calls per day
- Observed
- 3.9 calls per day
- Change
- -2.3 (-36.6%)
- Standardised score
- -0.9
- Event window
- 2026-01-31 to 2026-02-09 (10 days)
- Baseline window
- 2025-11-29 to 2026-01-23 (46 valid days)
- Method
- wfm-effect-1.0
- Computed
- 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026), data revision 1:5d7a4d19162d
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-09-15 (15 September 2026).
| Date | calls per day |
|---|---|
| 2025-11-22 | 6 |
| 2025-11-23 | 6 |
| 2025-11-24 | 5 |
| 2025-11-25 | 8 |
| 2025-11-26 | 6 |
| 2025-11-27 | 5 |
| 2025-11-28 | 5 |
| 2025-11-29 | 6 |
| 2025-11-30 | 4 |
| 2025-12-01 | 2 |
| 2025-12-02 | 9 |
| 2025-12-03 | 2 |
| 2025-12-04 | 7 |
| 2025-12-05 | 4 |
| 2025-12-06 | 8 |
| 2025-12-07 | 6 |
| 2025-12-08 | 7 |
| 2025-12-09 | 7 |
| 2025-12-10 | 9 |
| 2025-12-11 | 5 |
| 2025-12-12 | 8 |
| 2025-12-13 | 4 |
| 2025-12-14 | 2 |
| 2025-12-15 | 8 |
| 2025-12-16 | 8 |
| 2025-12-17 | 5 |
| 2025-12-18 | 8 |
| 2025-12-19 | 4 |
| 2025-12-20 | 4 |
| 2025-12-21 | 9 |
| 2025-12-22 | 4 |
| 2025-12-23 | 2 |
| 2025-12-24 | 6 |
| 2025-12-25 | 11 |
| 2025-12-26 | 7 |
| 2025-12-27 | 8 |
| 2025-12-28 | 6 |
| 2025-12-29 | 6 |
| 2025-12-30 | 0 |
| 2025-12-31 | 2 |
| 2026-01-01 | 5 |
| 2026-01-02 | 5 |
| 2026-01-03 | 4 |
| 2026-01-04 | 7 |
| 2026-01-05 | 9 |
| 2026-01-06 | 8 |
| 2026-01-07 | 2 |
| 2026-01-08 | 6 |
| 2026-01-09 | 7 |
| 2026-01-10 | 5 |
| 2026-01-11 | 8 |
| 2026-01-12 | 10 |
| 2026-01-13 | 3 |
| 2026-01-14 | 4 |
| 2026-01-15 | 7 |
| 2026-01-16 | 5 |
| 2026-01-17 | 5 |
| 2026-01-18 | 7 |
| 2026-01-19 | 7 |
| 2026-01-20 | 4 |
| 2026-01-21 | 13 |
| 2026-01-22 | 4 |
| 2026-01-23 | 6 |
| 2026-01-24 | 5 |
| 2026-01-25 | 5 |
| 2026-01-26 | 9 |
| 2026-01-27 | 8 |
| 2026-01-28 | 3 |
| 2026-01-29 | 7 |
| 2026-01-30 | 5 |
| 2026-01-31 | 6 |
| 2026-02-01 | 8 |
| 2026-02-02 | 5 |
| 2026-02-03 | 0 |
| 2026-02-04 | 2 |
| 2026-02-05 | 1 |
| 2026-02-06 | 10 |
| 2026-02-07 | 2 |
| 2026-02-08 | 1 |
| 2026-02-09 | 4 |
| 2026-02-10 | 4 |
| 2026-02-11 | 4 |
| 2026-02-12 | 2 |
| 2026-02-13 | 2 |
| 2026-02-14 | 5 |
| 2026-02-15 | 6 |
| 2026-02-16 | 3 |
| 2026-02-17 | 1 |
| 2026-02-18 | 4 |
| 2026-02-19 | 21 |
| 2026-02-20 | 9 |
| 2026-02-21 | 4 |
| 2026-02-22 | 11 |
| 2026-02-23 | 8 |
| 2026-02-24 | 5 |
| 2026-02-25 | 5 |
| 2026-02-26 | 6 |
| 2026-02-27 | 6 |
| 2026-02-28 | 6 |
| 2026-03-01 | 8 |
| 2026-03-02 | 4 |
| 2026-03-03 | 6 |
| 2026-03-04 | 8 |
| 2026-03-05 | 9 |
| 2026-03-06 | 5 |
| 2026-03-07 | 7 |
| 2026-03-08 | 5 |
| 2026-03-09 | 8 |
| 2026-03-10 | 6 |
| 2026-03-11 | 8 |
| 2026-03-12 | 9 |
| 2026-03-13 | 4 |
| 2026-03-14 | 4 |
| 2026-03-15 | 6 |
| 2026-03-16 | 9 |
| 2026-03-17 | 5 |
| 2026-03-18 | 5 |
| 2026-03-19 | 10 |
| 2026-03-20 | 1 |
| 2026-03-21 | 0 |
| 2026-03-22 | 7 |
| 2026-03-23 | 11 |
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Container ship port calls, Chittagong
- Baseline (expected)
- 3.7 calls per day
- Observed
- 2.4 calls per day
- Change
- -1.3 (-34.2%)
- Standardised score
- -0.7
- Event window
- 2026-01-31 to 2026-02-09 (10 days)
- Baseline window
- 2025-11-29 to 2026-01-23 (46 valid days)
- Method
- wfm-effect-1.0
- Computed
- 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026), data revision 1:244146f2b654
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-09-15 (15 September 2026).
| Date | calls per day |
|---|---|
| 2025-11-22 | 3 |
| 2025-11-23 | 4 |
| 2025-11-24 | 3 |
| 2025-11-25 | 6 |
| 2025-11-26 | 4 |
| 2025-11-27 | 3 |
| 2025-11-28 | 4 |
| 2025-11-29 | 5 |
| 2025-11-30 | 2 |
| 2025-12-01 | 1 |
| 2025-12-02 | 6 |
| 2025-12-03 | 2 |
| 2025-12-04 | 3 |
| 2025-12-05 | 2 |
| 2025-12-06 | 6 |
| 2025-12-07 | 1 |
| 2025-12-08 | 2 |
| 2025-12-09 | 5 |
| 2025-12-10 | 5 |
| 2025-12-11 | 3 |
| 2025-12-12 | 6 |
| 2025-12-13 | 2 |
| 2025-12-14 | 2 |
| 2025-12-15 | 3 |
| 2025-12-16 | 4 |
| 2025-12-17 | 3 |
| 2025-12-18 | 2 |
| 2025-12-19 | 2 |
| 2025-12-20 | 4 |
| 2025-12-21 | 5 |
| 2025-12-22 | 2 |
| 2025-12-23 | 2 |
| 2025-12-24 | 5 |
| 2025-12-25 | 4 |
| 2025-12-26 | 4 |
| 2025-12-27 | 5 |
| 2025-12-28 | 5 |
| 2025-12-29 | 3 |
| 2025-12-30 | 0 |
| 2025-12-31 | 1 |
| 2026-01-01 | 4 |
| 2026-01-02 | 3 |
| 2026-01-03 | 3 |
| 2026-01-04 | 5 |
| 2026-01-05 | 6 |
| 2026-01-06 | 7 |
| 2026-01-07 | 1 |
| 2026-01-08 | 4 |
| 2026-01-09 | 3 |
| 2026-01-10 | 4 |
| 2026-01-11 | 7 |
| 2026-01-12 | 5 |
| 2026-01-13 | 1 |
| 2026-01-14 | 3 |
| 2026-01-15 | 1 |
| 2026-01-16 | 2 |
| 2026-01-17 | 4 |
| 2026-01-18 | 6 |
| 2026-01-19 | 3 |
| 2026-01-20 | 4 |
| 2026-01-21 | 8 |
| 2026-01-22 | 3 |
| 2026-01-23 | 3 |
| 2026-01-24 | 2 |
| 2026-01-25 | 1 |
| 2026-01-26 | 4 |
| 2026-01-27 | 5 |
| 2026-01-28 | 1 |
| 2026-01-29 | 4 |
| 2026-01-30 | 2 |
| 2026-01-31 | 2 |
| 2026-02-01 | 8 |
| 2026-02-02 | 2 |
| 2026-02-03 | 0 |
| 2026-02-04 | 0 |
| 2026-02-05 | 0 |
| 2026-02-06 | 9 |
| 2026-02-07 | 1 |
| 2026-02-08 | 1 |
| 2026-02-09 | 1 |
| 2026-02-10 | 2 |
| 2026-02-11 | 4 |
| 2026-02-12 | 0 |
| 2026-02-13 | 1 |
| 2026-02-14 | 4 |
| 2026-02-15 | 4 |
| 2026-02-16 | 3 |
| 2026-02-17 | 1 |
| 2026-02-18 | 3 |
| 2026-02-19 | 12 |
| 2026-02-20 | 4 |
| 2026-02-21 | 2 |
| 2026-02-22 | 5 |
| 2026-02-23 | 3 |
| 2026-02-24 | 5 |
| 2026-02-25 | 3 |
| 2026-02-26 | 4 |
| 2026-02-27 | 3 |
| 2026-02-28 | 3 |
| 2026-03-01 | 5 |
| 2026-03-02 | 3 |
| 2026-03-03 | 4 |
| 2026-03-04 | 3 |
| 2026-03-05 | 5 |
| 2026-03-06 | 2 |
| 2026-03-07 | 5 |
| 2026-03-08 | 4 |
| 2026-03-09 | 5 |
| 2026-03-10 | 1 |
| 2026-03-11 | 7 |
| 2026-03-12 | 4 |
| 2026-03-13 | 3 |
| 2026-03-14 | 2 |
| 2026-03-15 | 5 |
| 2026-03-16 | 7 |
| 2026-03-17 | 1 |
| 2026-03-18 | 2 |
| 2026-03-19 | 9 |
| 2026-03-20 | 0 |
| 2026-03-21 | 0 |
| 2026-03-22 | 2 |
| 2026-03-23 | 6 |
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Timeline
- Port workers begin eight-hour work stoppages at Chittagong jetties and terminals, the first of three such days. [s1] [s2]
- The protest council escalates to an indefinite strike and cargo handling at jetties, sheds and terminals halts. [s1] [s3]
- The strike resumes after a two-day pause that followed a meeting with the shipping adviser. [s1]
- Workers suspend the strike until 15 February after the government says the terminal lease will not be signed by the current administration, and cargo handling restarts. [s1]
Cause
Resolution
2026-02-09 (9 February 2026): The strike was suspended on 2026-02-09 after government officials said the concession agreement would not be signed during the interim government's tenure; cargo handling restarted that morning. [s1]
Corrections
No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026).
Sources
- [s1] The Business Standard, Ctg Port resumes operations after 7-day disruption as workers suspend strike until 15 Feb, published 2026-02-09 (9 February 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)
- [s2] Prothom Alo, Chattogram port operations stall over NCT deal, published 2026-02-02 (2 February 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)
- [s3] Maritime Gateway, Chittagong Port Strike Cripples Bangladesh Container Flows, Disrupts India Trade, published 2026-02-05 (5 February 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)