The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has decided to postpone the fourfold increase in store rent for imported full container load (FCL) containers for one month in an effort to ease congestion at the port yard.
The decision, communicated through a notification signed by CPA Director (Transport) Enamul Karim on Tuesday, will come into effect from 23 August to 22 September.
However, this suspension decision will not apply to empty containers.
The increased store rent was initially imposed on FCL containers at Chattogram Port, Kamalapur ICD in Dhaka, and Pangaon ICT on 10 March this year.
Under the regular tariff, importers enjoy a four-day free period after unloading at Chattogram Port. After that, a 20-foot container is charged $6 per day for the first week, while a 40-foot container incurs a $12 charge.
The charges gradually increase with storage duration, reaching $24 and $48 per day respectively in the third week.
With the fourfold increase in March, importers had been paying up to $24 to $96 daily for a 20-foot container, and $48 to $192 for a 40-foot container.
CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk explained that the postponement was made following repeated requests from business bodies. “The decision will be reviewed after one month, depending on the port’s delivery situation,” he added.
Welcoming the decision, BGMEA Director Rakibul Alam Chowdhury stated, “We had been urging the port authority to withdraw the quadruple store rent. This suspension is a positive step, and we expect the previous rates to be reinstated permanently.”
According to CPA data, the port has a container storage capacity of 59,000 TEUs. On 26 August, a total of 41,282 TEUs were stored at the port yard.