Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

Nine workers died after suspected toxic gas exposure on August 14 while working inside LNG carrier MT Rasi at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila.

Dredging creates navigation capacity, not logistics demand. Cargo moves because industries produce, farmers harvest, ports generate trade, and consumers create demand. Rivers merely provide one transport corridor within a much larger logistics ecosystem.

A recent dispute over empty containers at Chattogram port has brought to renewed focus a deeper problem in Bangladesh’s trade logistics system

The upcoming budget implementation process provides an opportunity to recognise that professional freight drivers are not simply transport workers but strategic national assets.

It is a time to reflect on a critical yet often overlooked part of Bangladesh’s maritime system—the seabed and riverbeds that underpin our trade.

The proposed national budget for FY2026-27 deserves recognition for placing logistics and trade facilitation closer to the centre of Bangladesh’s economic transformation agenda.

Ports are key gateways of trade and economic growth around the world, and they are increasingly embracing the idea of going green.

Bangladesh’s garment industry stands at a critical turning point.