Feeder ship operators impose surcharge on import cargoes

Chittagong: Imposition of congestion surcharge on import cargoes in the Chittagong Port comes into effect from today with the feeder vessel operators disregarding the Chittagong Port Authority request to defer it for a month.

The CPA decided to take some initiatives, including withdrawal of the cut off period facility, to avoid surcharge which the vessel operators are going to impose dissatisfying the port users, the importers in particular.

The vessel operators, against the backdrop of persisting container and vessel congestion, decided to impose $130 surcharge on per 20-feet container for each day followed by the admissible turnaround period.

‘The vessel owners did not entertain the CPA request as the congestion situation is yet to improve satisfactorily,’ a local agent of the feeder operators, Sawpan Ghosh said on Saturday.

He, however, said the principals (vessel owners) would consider postponement or cancellation of the decision to impose surcharge once the congestion was eased.

The firmness of the vessel owners to impose surcharge prompted the CPA to postpone the cut off time facility to restrict booking of export cargoes with 24 hours of the berthing of a vessel at the port, port officials said.

The CPA also decided to immediately shift vessels from the port jetty in case of any disorder in its equipment and to give priority in giving berthing permission to feeder vessels to avoid surcharge, they added.

‘As they did not entertain our request, we will strictly follow the rules and regulations in handling the feeder vessels. We will not consider any cut off time and no booking for export will be allowed after 24 hours of the time of berthing of a ship,’ the CPA
Chairman, AMM Shahadat Hossain, said.

We tried to compromise with the feeder operators, but they remained firm in imposing surcharge though we are making efforts to ease the congestion, he said adding ‘They imposed the surcharge unilaterally and did not even give any break up of the surcharge for cost analysis.

Meanwhile, the Shipping Minister, Akbar Hossain, on Sunday urged the vessel operators to keep their decision postponed.

‘We are trying our best to reduce the turnaround time of vessels and have already reduced the congestion significantly,’ he said in the second meeting of the Maritime Council.

The meeting decided to operate the New-mooring Container Terminal by hiring equipment from privately owned firms and engaging contractors like the Inland Container Depot in Dhaka.

The meeting also decided to finalise a draft in the following meeting of the council to invite tender in this regard.

The Chittagong Mayor, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, who is also a member of the council, boycotted the meeting terming the council an unlawful and baseless body.

Presided over by the Minister, also the council chair, the meeting was attended, among others, by the CPA Chairman, Customs Commissioner Farid Uddin, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President MA Latif, first Vice President of the Bangla-desh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association Abu Tayaab, Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association President Parvez Sazzad and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Director Amirul Haque.