50 кораблей в очереди!

Supply chain disruptions in Bangladesh, the world's third-largest apparel exporter, have caused the world's longest berthing delays.

After weeks of protests, curfews and Internet outages, some 50 boats lined up within 25 nautical miles of Chittagong (see below), all of which culminated yesterday with the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, who led Bangladesh after 15 years. Hasina fled the country when protesters stormed her palace in Dhaka. The army has taken over an interim government, but the Asian country remains in chaos.

Chittagong, which handles more than 90 per cent of Bangladesh's international trade, now has the world's worst berthing delays, with many ships forced to wait more than a week in the Bay of Bengal, according to analysts at Linerlytica, an Asian container shipping consultancy that tracks global congestion.

The day before yesterday, the port's container clearance volume was only 1,175 TEUs, a sharp drop from the typical daily clearance volume to 8,000 TEUs.

The slowdown has been attributed to ongoing student-led protests and political unrest sweeping the country.

In recent years, Bangladesh's ports have struggled with soaring traffic as the country has emerged as a significant exporter, especially of clothing.

Chittagong connects the Republic to the hinterland, and also provides sea access to the landlocked Himalayan countries of Nepal, Bhutan and northeast India.

Rail traffic disruptions have hampered the flow of imported products and oil to Dhaka and other parts of the country, while cross-border links with neighbouring countries such as India and Bhutan have been closed over the past few days.