Goods transport at Chattogram port has come to a near standstill as transport owners and workers suspended operations to protest a sharp increase in entry fees and tariffs imposed by the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA).
Within just four days of the disruption, an additional 3,516 TEUs of containers have accumulated in the port yard, raising concerns about congestion and delays in both import and export activities.
The crisis began after the port implemented a new tariff structure on October 15, which raised the vehicle entry fee from Tk 57.50 to Tk 230. The sharp hike triggered discontent among transport owners and drivers, leading to a gradual slowdown in goods movement that turned into a complete suspension by Saturday morning (18 October).
Traders warn of port shutdown
Amid growing frustration, traders on Saturday (18 October) organized a protest meeting at the Navy Convention Hall in Chattogram, demanding an immediate review of the new tariff.
Addressing the gathering, Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, convener of the Chattogram Port Users Forum and former president of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), warned that if the tariff issue was not resolved within a week, traders would be compelled to shut down the port.
“The C&F Association will start a four-hour work stoppage from Sunday, and other trade bodies will also join the strike,” he announced. “We have already written to the Chief Advisor demanding the withdrawal of the tariff, but there has been no response. We will send another letter soon.”
Leaders of various business organizations attending the meeting denounced the tariff hike as “unjustified and untimely.” They argued that such a decision should not have been made during the final phase of the interim government. “An elected government could revise tariffs after consulting with stakeholders,” they said.
Premier Cement Managing Director Amirul Haque expressed anger, saying the Ministry of Shipping had taken advantage of the absence of elected trade bodies to raise tariffs arbitrarily. “In some areas, tariff adjustments may be rational, but these must be finalized through discussions with businesses,” he said. “If port operations come to a halt, those responsible for this decision will have to bear the consequences.”
Port congestion worsens
Data from the Chattogram Port Authority shows that since the implementation of the new tariff, container delivery has fallen by almost 50 percent. On October 18, only 2,007 TEUs were delivered—down from 3,852 TEUs handled on October 15.
On October 15, the port yard held 42,514 TEUs, but by October 18, the number had surged to 46,030 TEUs. The port’s total storage capacity is 59,000 TEUs, meaning the yard is rapidly approaching its operational limit. Normally, the port delivers between 4,000 and 4,500 TEUs daily.
Transporters stop operations
For the first four days of the protest, only the Prime Mover Owners Association had suspended operations. But as of Saturday morning, the Truck and Covered Van Owners Association joined the movement, bringing all cargo transport to a complete halt.
As a result, the delivery of imported goods from the port has nearly stopped, and the movement of export cargo from inland depots to the port has been severely disrupted.
Chowdhury Zafar Ahmed, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Covered Van, Truck and Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association, said, “Not only prime movers, but also trucks and covered vans are no longer entering the port. At present, cargo movement at the port is 100 percent suspended.”
Mohammad Hossain, Secretary of the Chattogram Prime Mover Owners Association, explained that the sudden hike in entry fees had triggered the deadlock. “Previously, drivers paid Tk 57.50 per trip. After the tariff revision, the fee jumped to Tk 230. Drivers now insist that the transport owners should pay the gate pass fees, which is not feasible,” he said. “The port authority has not offered any solution, so we have no choice but to stop transporting goods. The workers’ unions are standing with us.”
On an average day, 7,000 to 8,000 vehicles enter Chattogram Port for cargo handling — including import deliveries, export shipments from depots, and the transport of empty containers. But on Saturday, instead of heading to the port, transport workers staged protest rallies at several points, including Saltgola Crossing, blocking prime movers and lorries en route to the port.
Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Mohammad Omar Faruk confirmed the disruption, telling The Times of Bangladesh, “Several owners’ and workers’ associations have suspended the movement of cargo transport. However, some vehicles are still operating.”
Saiful Alam, President of the Chattogram Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, said the suspension of transport had seriously disrupted the release of imported goods from the port. “Importers are incurring additional costs due to container delays, which will inevitably affect the entire supply chain,” he warned.
Export shipments under threat
Export operations have also been hit hard. Every day, about 2,200 TEUs of export goods are transported from 19 private off-docks to Chattogram Port, while nearly 1,000 import-laden containers move from the port to these depots. Empty containers are also regularly transferred by prime movers.
Due to the ongoing suspension, exporters fear missing shipment schedules. “If containers cannot reach the port in time, vessels will depart without taking export cargo, leading to serious losses,” said several exporters.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), told The Times of Bangladesh, “The transport of export goods from private depots to the port has completely stopped since Saturday morning.”
According to BICDA data, between 8 am on October 17 and 8 am on October 18, only 2,099 TEUs of export cargo were sent from depots to the port, while 1,096 TEUs of imported goods were brought to depots. During the same period, 2,947 trucks and covered vans arrived at the depots from different parts of the country.
At present, depots hold 7,192 TEUs of export goods and 7,309 TEUs of import cargo, while the stock of empty containers stands at 63,382 TEUs.
