Transport strike at Ctg Port withdrawn as CPA agrees to revoke increased entry fee
Container-carrying vehicles began entering the port again at around 3:30pm, ending nearly two days of disruption that had crippled operations at the country’s principal seaport.
Highlight:
- Transport strike at Chattogram Port withdrawn this afternoon
- CPA agrees to revoke 300% hike in gate pass fee
- Container movement resumed at around 3:30pm after two days of disruption
- Strike withdrawal followed meeting between CPA, transport leaders
- Customs agents' partial work abstention still ongoing over tariff hike
Transport owners and workers at Chattogram Port withdrew their strike this afternoon (19 October) after the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) agreed to revoke a recently imposed hike in the port's gate pass fee.
Container-carrying vehicles began entering the port again at around 3:30pm, ending nearly two days of disruption that had crippled operations at the country's principal seaport.
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The breakthrough came following a meeting between CPA officials and representatives of transport owners and workers earlier in the day.
Chowdhury Zafar Ahammad, secretary general of the Bangladesh Transport Owners Association, told The Business Standard, "The CPA has agreed to revoke the increased fees and continue charging the previous rate for gate passes.
"Since our demand has been met, we have called off the strike."
Meanwhile, CPA Secretary Mohammad Omar Faruk said, "Following successful discussions with stakeholders, we have decided to withdraw the new gate pass fee."
He continued, "We will write to the Ministry of Shipping recommending a reduction in the entry fee. Until the revised rates are finalised, the previous rate will remain in effect," he said.
The transporters had launched the strike yesterday morning to protest a 300% increase in the gate pass fee – from Tk57 to Tk230 – introduced without prior consultation.
Crisis deepened before the breakthrough
Before the meeting, port operations were on the brink of paralysis as the transport strike coincided with a four-hour daily work abstention by customs agents protesting a 41% hike in tariff rates.
The simultaneous protests choked container delivery, halted export shipments, and blocked entry and exit points around the port.
Transport workers had also stationed themselves in front of private inland container depots (ICDs) to prevent container movement.
Although loading and unloading from vessels continued, port users warned that the situation was unsustainable as export containers failed to reach terminals and imports remained stuck.
"This fee increase was irrational and imposed without any discussion," said Mohammad Hossain, general secretary of the Chattogram Prime Mover Owners Association, during Saturday's protest.
Customs agents' protest continues
While the transport strike has been called off, the customs agents' partial work abstention remains in place.
Saiful Alam, president of the Bangladesh Customs Agents Association, said the protest will continue throughout the week.
"Our work abstention is limited to the port. We are still participating in taxation activities at the customs house but not in the delivery process," he said, urging the authorities to roll back the tariff hike.
Container backlog and trade disruption
In the four days leading up to today's resolution, container delivery at the port dropped by 45%, causing about 3,300 additional containers to pile up in the yards.
On 14 October, the port handled 8,036 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and delivered 3,652 TEUs. By 18 October, deliveries had fallen to just 2,007 TEUs.
Private ICDs continued operating, but most prime movers that transport containers between ICDs and the port joined the strike, worsening congestion.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA), said, "We were doing internal work like stuffing and unstuffing containers. Had the strike continued for two more days, even ICD operations would have ground to a halt."
Business community warns of heavy losses
Traders and exporters said the two-day disruption caused huge financial losses and jeopardised Bangladesh's export commitments.
"A single day's delay in raw material delivery forces factories to pay idle wages or run overtime shifts; either way, it is a loss," said former BGMEA director Belayet Hossain.
Former Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Mahfuzul Haque Shah said, "A 45% drop in container delivery in just four days has caused economic damage that cannot be quantified. This will raise import prices and hurt exports."
He blamed "bureaucratic inefficiency" for allowing the dispute to drag on.
"A problem that could have been solved in 12 hours took days. An international port cannot be managed like this," he added.
CPA says operations stabilising
Following the agreement, CPA Secretary Omar Faruk said the situation is improving.
"The strike had some impact, but the port's expanded storage capacity helped us manage it," he added.
As container movement resumed this afternoon, port users expressed relief but urged authorities to consult stakeholders before making any future tariff or fee changes.
