Surcharges weigh on Ctg port users

Containers pile up at the Chittagong port. Mismanagement and negligence by the port authorities cost users pay Tk 50 crore in monthly surcharges. Industry insiders say if the situation remains unchanged, the prices of essentials will surely go up. Photo: STAR

Chittagong Port users pay Tk 50 crore a month in surcharges mainly due to mismanagement and negligence by the authorities.
The users criticised the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) for ignoring their opinion in resolving the crises of the premier seaport, which they said cost them Tk 100 crore in the last two months.
The CPA took the container handling operations at 12 jetties under its own management in May instead of appointing berth operators. But the port authorities do not have experiences in such a job, which has created a huge congestion of containers and doubled turnaround time.
The situation has led feeder vessels operators to impose Tk 3,476.25 in congestion surcharges on each empty container and $100 on a loaded one.
The port operated around three lakh containers for both export and import during the last two months.
MA Salam, acting president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a leader of Chittagong Port Users' Forum, said the authorities do not talk to the port users in solving any problem.
"But the CPA used to sit with the users during the past caretaker government regime when the port efficiency improved a lot."
Ahsanul Huq Chowdhury, former chairman of Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association, said the present crisis emerged as the CPA took the container handling operations under its own management.
He said the CPA should not have taken such a decision without consulting all the stakeholders.
The prices of essentials will go up because of the enhanced shipping costs, Chowdhury added.
AKM Akter Hossain, president of Chittagong Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents' Association, said the CPA has curtailed communication with the stakeholders after the present government came to power.
He said the port authorities should consider the stakeholders' opinion before taking any port-related decisions.
CPA acting chairman Nazrul Islam said the port management had no intention to run the container handling activities on its own.
“The High Court has stayed berth operation for three months. During the interim period, we had no other options but to introduce container handling by port management itself,” said Nazrul Islam.
He said the CPA has already appointed six berth operators at six jetties and the rest will be appointed within the next month.
About consulting the stakeholders, he said the CPA does not take any decision on its own, but follows the government directives.
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(This is the second part in a series)