Staff Reporter :
The Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has confirmed it will start implementing its newly revised tariff structure from midnight on 14 October, marking the first major tariff hike in nearly four decades.
The decision was announced in a circular signed on 30 September by CPA’s Chief Finance and Accounts Officer Mohammad Abdus Shakur.
According to the circular, all vessels, containers, and cargo entering the port after 12am on 14 October will be billed under the updated tariff schedule.
The new rates, suspended for a month following objections from businesses and intervention by the shipping adviser, will now be enforced without further delay.
The revision affects 23 of the port’s 52 service categories, with charges increasing by up to 41percent in certain segments. The adjustments were determined after a study of 17 international ports, including 10 across Asia, with Spanish consulting firm Idom assisting the CPA.
One of the most significant hikes will hit container handling, a sector central to port operations. Fees for a 20-foot container will rise from Tk11,849 to Tk16,243 — an average increase of 37percent. Import container charges will increase by Tk5,720, while export container charges will climb by Tk3,045.
Loading and unloading fees per container will go up by nearly Tk3,000, while the per-kilogram tariff for containerised goods will increase by Tk0.47 to Tk1.75.
General cargo will also see a steep adjustment, with tariffs increasing from 35 poysha to nearly 49 poysha per kilogram — a rise of about 41percent. Vessel-related charges will rise sharply as well, including pilotage fees of up to $800 and tug assistance charges reaching $6,830.
Waiting charges for ships missing their berthing schedule could climb as high as 900percent beyond the standard rate.
The CPA had originally planned to introduce the new rates from 15 September, but business groups and shipping agents strongly protested, arguing that tariff increases should be capped at 10–15percent. Following a workshop attended by Shipping Adviser (retd) Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hossain on 20 September, implementation was deferred by one month.
Despite resistance, the CPA has maintained that the adjustments are necessary to modernise the port’s revenue system and align it with international standards.
The changes come at a time when the port’s throughput has been rising steadily. In 2024, Chattogram handled 3.27 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, up from 3.05 million in 2023, along with around 130 million tonnes of cargo and more than 4,000 vessels annually.
As Bangladesh’s principal maritime gateway — handling 92percent of seaborne trade and 98percent of containerised cargo — the tariff hike is expected to have far-reaching implications for exporters and importers, with many warning of higher costs in the country’s already strained trade sector.
