A container arriving at Chattogram Port from Brazil has been found to contain radioactive material, detected through the port’s Megaports Initiative Radiation Detection System. The container, carrying scrap metal, reached Chattogram on August 3, 2025. On August 6, during unloading at Gate No. 4, the radiation alarm was triggered, prompting customs authorities to halt the unloading process and isolate the container.
According to customs sources, the container held old iron scraps. Preliminary tests identified three radioactive isotopes—Thorium-232, Radium-226, and Iridium-192—with radiation levels measured at 1 microsievert per hour. While not extremely high, this level poses potential health risks. The container has been isolated to avoid human contact, and a letter has been sent to the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission for detailed examination.
The container was loaded onto a ship at Manaus Port in Brazil on March 30, 2025, and traveled through Cristobal (Panama), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Colombo (Sri Lanka) before reaching Chattogram. Despite radiation detection systems at three of these ports, no radioactivity was detected earlier.
According to Chattogram Customs records, the scrap was imported by Al Aksa Steel Mills Limited, based in Demra, Dhaka. The company imported 135 tons of scrap in five containers, one of which was found to be radioactive.
Mohammad Marufur Rahman, Joint Commissioner of Chattogram Customs, stated, “The unloading has been suspended, and the container has been isolated. We have informed the Atomic Energy Commission, and their scientists will conduct on-site tests. Necessary actions will follow based on their findings.”
This is not the first instance of radioactive material being detected in a container in Bangladesh. In 2014, a container carrying scrap metal from Chattogram to India was flagged for radioactivity at Colombo Port. It was returned to Chattogram, where an international team assisted in isolating a radioactive substance, Radium Beryllium.
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