Berth operators engaged in container handling at Chattogram Port have urged the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) to immediately revise their contract rates, citing a sharp rise in diesel prices that has significantly increased operational costs.
The demand was made in a letter sent to CPA Chairman on Monday by Fazle Ekram Chowdhury, president of Berth Operators, Ship Handling Operators and Terminal Operators Owners Association.
According to the association, diesel was priced at Tk80 per litre when tenders for the relevant services were submitted on 19 January 2022.
Since then, fuel prices have increased in several phases, including a Tk34 per litre hike in August 2022, followed by another Tk15 increase.
The latest increase of Tk20 per litre on 20 September 2026, has taken the diesel price to Tk135 per litre, the association said.
As a result, diesel prices have increased by Tk55 per litre, or nearly 69 percent, compared with the rate prevailing when the tenders were submitted in 2022.
The association said container handling at Chattogram Port is heavily dependent on transport and fuel-powered equipment. The sharp increase in diesel prices has therefore pushed up the cost of berth operations substantially.
It said operators were finding it increasingly difficult to continue their activities under contract rates that were fixed based on much lower fuel prices.
“Under the existing contract rates, it has become nearly impossible to sustain berth operations while absorbing the increased costs and resulting financial losses,” the association said in its letter.
The operators also pointed out that fuel-price adjustments have already been made in several other sectors and urged the CPA to take similar measures for port-related contracts.
They requested the port authority to take immediate steps to adjust container handling contract rates in line with the current diesel price, saying the move was necessary to ensure uninterrupted operation of the port.
