Arakan army releases 2 cargo ships, keeps another amid ongoing tensions

The Arakan Army has released two cargo ships that they seized on the Naf River en route to Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf, carrying imported goods from Myanmar.

However, the armed rebel group has yet to release a third vessel.

Around 11:30am on Monday, two cargo ships docked at the Teknaf Land Port Jetty, according to Ehteshamul Haque Bahadur, the general secretary of the C&F Agents.

He said on Jan 16, the Arakan Army seized two cargo ships carrying goods from Yangon in the Naikhongdia area of Myanmar on the Naf River, citing a search operation as the reason.

The following day, another vessel was seized in the same location.

"While two ships have returned with their cargo, the Arakan Army has not yet released the third ship," he added.

Although port traders have expressed relief at the return of the seized ships, their concerns remain unresolved.

The ongoing conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine state has left operations at the Teknaf Land Port in a state of stagnation.

The ships captured by the Arakan Army were carrying 50,000 bags of dried fruits, betel nuts, coffee, and other goods.

Land port traders, including Shawkat Ali, Omar Farooq, Md Ayash, MA Hashem, Md Omar Wahid, and Abdur Shukkur Saddam are among the many importers of these goods.

Teknaf Land Port Customs Officer M Abdullah Al Masum said that 47,000 tonnes of goods were imported between Jul 23 and December of the 2023-24 fiscal year, generating Tk 2,570 million in government revenue.

In contrast, during the same period of the 2024-25 fiscal year, only 11,000 tonnes of goods were imported, resulting in a revenue of Tk 870 million for the government.

He explained that due to the ongoing conflict in Rakhine State, revenue collection has fallen by Tk 1,700 million compared with the previous year.

On another note, Customs Officer Abdullah Al Masum highlighted a significant volume of cement exports in recent years.

In the 2023-24 fiscal year, 236 tonnes of cement were exported, valued at over Tk 11.3 million. In the current fiscal year, 291 tonnes of cement have been exported, amounting to a value of Tk 28.5 million.