On 14th September, the government declared in a gazette that service fees at the Chattogram port will increase by an average of 41%.
The international container shipping firm CMA CGM, based in France, declared yesterday that it would apply an ‘Emergency Cost Recovery Surcharge’, which could cost anywhere from US $ 45 to US $ 350 per container. According to the corporation, it was intended to lessen the effects of higher operating costs at the port of Chattogram.
On 7th October, the main line operator (MLO) informed its customers of the announcement. It read, “This surcharge will apply to all import and export shipments via Chittagong (BDCGP) and will be effective from 26th October 2025, based on the vessel berthing date at BDCGP.” The corporation stated in the notice that the fee is payable at the Chattogram port or any other location in Bangladesh, regardless of the conditions of the shipment or contract.
According to the notification, the surcharge will be US $ 40 for a 20-foot dry container, US $ 70 for a 40-foot dry container, US $ 105 for a 40-foot high-cube dry container and US $ 145 for a 45-foot high-cube dry container.
The additional fees for refrigerated containers will be US $ 40 for a 20-foot container, US $ 60 for a 40-foot container and US $ 90 for a high-cube container that is 40 feet in length.
A 20-foot container will cost US $ 140, a 40-foot container will cost US $ 215 and a 40-foot high-cube container would cost US $ 305 for hazardous materials.
Concerns have been raised by businesses about the potential rise in import and export expenses as a result of the surcharges imposed after the port’s tariff increase.
On Sunday, the Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping received a letter from the Chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA).
In it, he called for a re-examination of the recently imposed port tariff and its implementation schedule, stating that the country’s economy and trade competitiveness would be seriously harmed by the sudden increase and implementation.
BSAA Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif said that not only CMA CGM but also all other foreign shipping lines would soon follow suit to implement additional surcharges on containers moving to and from Chattogram.
Since international buyers typically cover the cost of transportation, exporters will not be immediately impacted by this added price, but importers will be.
Khairul Alam Suzan, former Vice-President of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA) opined, “Although foreign buyers will bear the additional charges, this will eventually have an impact on Bangladeshi exporters.”
He claimed that these extra surcharges by the MLOs would raise the costs of the nation’s international trade even more after the port and ICDs raised their fees.
According to him, the readymade clothing industry would bear the brunt of the additional surcharges since they will be tallied twice: once for the import of raw materials for their facilities and once for the export of completed goods.
M A Salam, Director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) stated that the surcharges pose a threat to the competitiveness of the country’s RMG sector in the global market. According to him, the country’s RMG exports are already suffering from additional tariffs imposed by the US.
For the benefit of the nation’s exports, he hoped the government would re-evaluate the decision to raise the port’s tariffs.
