Port Users Forum president Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury on Saturday warned that Chattogram port would be shut down if the newly imposed tariff hikes were not withdrawn within a week.
He issued the warning while speaking at a protest meeting held at the Navy Convention Hall, organised by the forum to protest at the service charges recently imposed by the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).
Amir Humayun said, 鈥業f the issue is not resolved within a week, we will shut down Chattogram port. The entire country depends on this port, it is the lifeline of Bangladesh鈥檚 economy. Any disruption here will affect the nation.鈥�
Former Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) director Amirul Haque said the tariff hike by as much as 400 per cent was unacceptable. 鈥楢re we living in a lawless land? Businesspeople of Chattogram will not tolerate such exploitation.鈥�
MA Salam, a former director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said the new tariff has made the business community insecure. The port is a service-oriented organisation, not one running in losses. It earns around Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 crore annually. 鈥楾hen why so much manipulation over Chattogram port,鈥� he asked.
He added, the trailer strike has already begun; our containers will not move. We demand that the port鈥檚 tariff schedule be redefined after discussions with stakeholders.
The meetings Moderator S M Abu Tayeb said, 鈥楾he same government that negotiates tariff cuts abroad is raising tariffs at home. This has caused widespread concern among businesses. We have already written to the chief adviser about this issue.鈥�
On September 14, a government gazette signed by CPA chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman announced the new tariffs.
In total, tariffs for 23 out of 52 port services covering container handling, vessel berthing, and vehicle entry, among others came into effect on October 15.
The CPA handles 92 per cent of the country鈥檚 imports and exports through sea routes and 98 per cent of container and cargo transport.
In 2024, the port handled 3,275,627 twenty-foot equivalent units of containers compared with 3,050,793 TEUs in 2023 and 3,142,504 TEUs in 2022.
Moreover, the Chattogram port handles 130 million tonnes of cargo annually on average, along with more than 4,000 cargo vessels each year.
