Govt to review Ctg port tariff hike amid user objections
Highlights:
- High-level meeting set for 25 August
- Shipping ministry, CPA, port users to join talks
- Port users complain about rising costs
- CPA proposed tariff hike up to 100% in June
- Later it was cut down to 44% amid opposition
The government has decided to review Chattogram port's proposed new tariff structure, as differences continue between the port authority and its users.
The Ministry of Shipping has called a high-level meeting on 25 August, to be chaired by Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain. Officials from the ministry, Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), and port users are expected to attend, according to an invitation issued on 20 August by the ministry's Chattogram port cell.
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Most of the port's tariffs were last set in 1986, with only minor adjustments in five categories in 2008. Charges across 51 other service areas have remained unchanged. CPA argues that a revision is long overdue, citing a 2020 review by Spanish consultancy IDM Consulting and Logicforum, which recommended a new framework.
A single vessel arriving at the Chattogram Port may receive up to 56 different services, including pilotage, tug assistance, crane operations, water supply, cargo handling, and delivery. The fees for these services—collected in US dollars—are collectively referred to as the port's tariff, according to port officials.
Shipping agents and traders dispute the claim of static tariffs, noting fees rise every year as the Taka weakens against the US dollar. They warn the proposed hike will raise shipping costs, which would eventually be passed on to consumers.
Industry representatives stressed that Chattogram is a service-oriented port, not a commercial enterprise, and warned that higher costs could undermine competitiveness in regional trade.
Last June, the CPA initially proposed a 70–100% increase in tariffs but scaled it down to about 44% in response to the opposition by the port users.
On 24 July, the finance ministry approved the shipping ministry's proposal, "Tariff on Goods and Vessels for Chattogram Port Authority 2025," through an NOC signed by Treasury and Debt Management Division's Senior Assistant Secretary Monowara Parvin Mitu.
Previous attempts to revise tariffs had stalled. In 2013, the CPA launched a review, but it was not approved by the ministry. Another effort in 2019 led to the commissioning of the international consultancy, but implementation was delayed until now.
With the CPA firm on enforcing new rates and users resisting, the shipping ministry has stepped in to mediate. The 25 August meeting is seen as a critical step toward breaking the deadlock over the future cost of shipping services at the country's busiest seaport.
