Lighter vessel owners yesterday announced a 15 to 22 per cent increase in fares for transporting imported goods on different inland water routes due to the recent hike in fuel prices.

The Water Transport Cell (WTC), a private organisation that coordinates the allocation and schedules of lighter vessels, took the decision after an emergency meeting of its executive committee yesterday afternoon.

In a circular issued after meeting, the WTC said the new rates would be effective since August 6.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association, Coastal Ship Owners Association of Bangladesh, Inland Vessel Owners Association of Chattogram, WTC Goods Agents Association, and WTC Local Agents Association attended the meeting at the WTC office in the Agrabad commercial area of Chattogram.

According to the circular, 22 per cent of the existing fare has been added to the rates mentioned in the WTC fare chart for transporting goods from Kutubdia, the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port, and different ghats of Karnaphuli river to Dhaka, Barishal and Chandpur.

Besides, the fare taken for transporting goods to other destinations has been raised by 15 per cent, it said.

However, the fare for transporting imported goods from the outer anchorage to different ghats of Karnaphuli river remains same, a WTC official said.

He went on say that it would previously cost an average of Tk 478 per tonne for transporting cement clinker and other raw materials of cement factories from Chattogram to Dhaka.

Now, the new fare for transporting these materials will be Tk 583 per tonne, he added.

The WTC coordinates around 1,800 lighter vessels engaged in unloading imported bulk cargoes from mother vessels at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port as well as Kutubdia anchorage and carrying the goods to some 40 destinations across the country through inland waterways.

Around 93 per cent of the country's total imports are delivered to Chittagong Port, where around 70 per cent of them are released at the outer anchorage. On average, 1.40 crore tonnes of different types of imported cargoes are transported annually using lighter vessels under the WTC. In 2020, the figure was around 1.47 crore tonnes.

However, importers expressed concern over the fare hike as it would have an effect on the price of imported commodities, including industrial products.

Abul Bashar Chowdhury, chairman of leading commodity importer BSM Group, said such a hike in fares amid the increase in dollar rates and prevailing economic crisis would increase overall transport costs for imported goods. In addition, it would surely have an impact on the commodity market, ultimately affecting the consumers.

"It is obvious that the water transport fares would be increased due to the recent fuel price hike but the WTC should not have increased the fare alone," he said.

Such a decision needs to be taken in a meeting coordinated by government representatives and in presence of the various stakeholders, including major importing firms, so that the fare can be adjusted logically, Chowdhury added.