Delays in importing from Bangladesh are likely to be experienced in the next few weeks, after violent protests led to a national internet blackout.

The government’s decision to blackout internet, and to enforce a curfew, has led to major disruption at Bangladesh’s ports and airports during the past week.

Clashes between police and protesting students, which tragically led to over 200 deaths according to local news agencies, had continued for days before the government decided to take their drastic action.

With systems effectively out of action at ports and airports for a few days, air and ocean traffic was impacted significantly. Containerships were anchored outside Chittagong port while customs procedures and port operations were unable to proceed and cargo was unable to leave Dhaka airport.

Bangladesh is the world’s second largest exporter of clothing behind China, and the industry could see a significant drop in revenue due to contractual discounts being applied to delayed orders.

Backlogs at both ports and airports have built during the past couple of weeks, which will inevitably result in some delays.

Should you be concerned about upcoming orders from Bangladesh, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Westbound team.

If you have any questions regarding the above, then Westbound are here to help. So, please do not hesitate to contact us.