Port dues to quadruple if risky goods not released timely 

The Chattogram Port Authority will impose port rent four times as much as it was earlier if hazardous chemical products are not released within four days after their arrival at the port.

This decision will be effective from 1 April.

If this new rule comes into force, the importers will have to pay four times the store rent of its earlier prescribed slab.

On 23 March, the port authorities issued a notification for the closure of the country's premier port.

The Chattogram Port and the Chattogram Customs Authorities rushed to remove risky goods from the port after the Beirut Port in Lebanon witnessed a tragic incident.

Faisal Bin Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Customs House, said 59 tons of chemical goods that had not been released from the port for a long time were destroyed in two phases at Lafarge Surma Cement Factory in Sunamganj recently.

Chattogram Port Authority Director (Traffic) Enamul Karim said it was recently observed that the delivery of chemical containers from the port was being delayed.

"As a result, the main port of the country is at risk. In order to accelerate the economic development of the country and keep the port operation risk-free and safe, it is requested to take prompt delivery of imported chemicals and hazardous cargo containers from inside the port," according to the circular.

The situation will be monitored from the issuance of this notification till 31 March, it added.

Secretary to Chattogram Port Authority Md Omar Farooq told The Business Standard, considering the risk, the authorities are deciding to quadruple the port fair of hazardous products.

"We hope that importers will take the delivery of these products from the port soon," he said, adding that the importers get the opportunity to keep containers of imported goods in the port yard for four days without any rent.

Earlier, the rent for a 20-foot-long container for first week was $6 per day while it was $12 per day from day eight to 21 days (Two weeks) for containers of the same size and $24 per day after 21 days (Third week).

According to the new rule, for a 20-foot container, importers have to pay a fine of $24 for one week instead of $6 four days after the free container storage time at the port, $48 instead of $12 for the following two weeks and $96 instead of $24 after the third week. 

Earlier, to reduce container congestion at the port, the port authorities imposed double the normal fare or store rent 11 days after the container landed on 8 March.