Round-the-clock operation at Bangladesh's main seaport, land port from August

Bangladesh government has decided to keep its main sea port and land port open for 24 hours a day.

The country's main seaport in southeastern district of Chittagong and the land port in southwestern Jessore's Benapole will be open round-the-clock from Aug 1.

The decision came on Wednesday from an inter-ministerial meeting at capital Dhaka.

"We have agreed on keeping the bank branches and customs offices at the ports open round-the-clock. The National Board of Revenue and the banks have already initiated the process," Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan told the media.

He said the foreign ministry will get in touch with the Indian authorities to keep the Petrapole land port operational for 24 hours a day.
 

General view of the Benapole port in the southwestern district of Jessore. File photo

About 90 percent of the Tk 200 billion annual cross-border trade between Bangladesh and India flows through the Benapole port and almost 1.3 million people travel through it a year.

The Chittagong seaport handles more than 90 percent of exports and imports of the country. 

In FY2017, the port handled almost 2.3 million containers earning the state coffers over Tk 23.86 billion in revenues.