Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has fined three lighter vessels a total of Tk60,000 for violating navigation rules and engaging in unauthorised storage of goods in Karnaphuli Channel, the port’s main navigational route.
The enforcement drive was conducted by the CPA under the leadership of an executive magistrate, with assistance from Bangladesh Coast Guard.
The information was disclosed in a press release signed by Syed Refayet Hamim, secretary of Chattogram Port Authority.
During the operation, officials inspected four lighter vessels anchored in the channel and found violations aboard three of them. The magistrate imposed a fine of Tk20,000 on each vessel, totalling Tk60,000, under the Inland Shipping Ordinance.
During the drive, vessel operators and crew members were also given safety instructions to ensure smooth and secure navigation. They were warned against storing goods without authorisation and engaging in activities that could obstruct vessel movement in the channel.
The CPA said maintaining safe and uninterrupted navigation through the port’s main channel was essential to sustaining the country’s import-export trade and overall economic activities.
It added that enforcement drives and regular monitoring would continue to prevent navigational obstructions, maintain port security and protect maritime trade.
