Chittagong’s private inland container depots (ICDs) have announced a substantial hike in export and empty container handling charges, effective from 1st September. The Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (Bicda) revealed that the new tariff rates will see a 36% to 44% rise in export cargo handling fees compared to previous rates, according to a circular issued on 15th July.
Under the revised structure, handling charges for a 20-foot export container will increase from Taka 6,187 to Taka 9,900. Similarly, charges for 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube containers will jump from Taka 8,250 to Taka 13,200. A new separate fee of Taka 14,900 has been introduced for 40-foot high-cube or 45-foot containers, which previously shared the same rate as standard 40-foot containers.
Handling charges for empty containers will also see hikes—up to 31.8%. Specifically, transportation fees for empty containers have increased from Taka 1,705 to Taka 2,500 for 20-foot containers and from Taka 3,410 to Taka 4,000 for 40-foot high-cube containers. Meanwhile, charges for import containers remain unchanged.
Additional costs such as ground rent have been revised to Taka 150 for 20-foot containers and Taka 300 for larger containers. Other charges include a landing fee of Taka 270 per tonne, documentation fee of Taka 450, and lift-on/lift-off charges set at Taka 750.
The circular cites rising labor, equipment, and maintenance costs, along with the devaluation of the Bangladeshi Taka against the US dollar, increased bank interest rates, and inflationary pressures as reasons for the rate hikes. Bicda Secretary General Ruhul Amin Sikder stated that since port and freight charges are often paid in US dollars, ICD operators are facing mounting difficulties because their charges are still collected in local currency.
The rate increase has raised concerns among exporters, particularly from the garment sector, which heavily depends on private ICDs for cargo handling. Currently, Bangladesh operates 19 ICDs handling both imports and exports, with two additional ICDs managing empty containers.
