Chtg Port mulls rent hike

Chittagong: A fresh move is under way for increasing the rent for keeping containers at Chittagong port, officials said. They hinted that the rents which were very low might be hiked in the tenure of the interim government.


The Chittagong Port Authority now realises Taka 100 as rent a day for a 20-foot container loaded with 12 tonnes of cargo. The rent was fixed 20 years ago, the officials pointed out.


The chairman of CPA, Shahadat Hossain said that they were taking steps towards raising the storage rents on containers.


‘The issue was discussed at a high-level meeting on Thursday at the ministry of port and shipping with its adviser presiding. The meeting decided to take measures to re-fix a new rate of rent for containers,’ he said.


The CPA in the past had sent proposals repeatedly to the government seeking a rent hike but without any result, he added.


‘We cannot afford to allow the old rate to continue,’ he said adding ‘taking advantage of the low rate of rents a section of consignees are using the port yards as their warehouse dilly-dallying in taking delivery of containers.’


‘As a result, congestion of containers has become acute at Chittagong port causing difficulties in cargo handling,’ he said.


‘Once the rents are raised, the consignees will be discouraged to use the port yards as warehouse,’ he observed. ‘Besides, earnings of CPA will increase,’ he said.


Severe container congestion plagued the operational activities at Chittagong port last month as more than 18,000 containers piled up at port yards against their capacity to accommodate 13,000 containers, port officials said.