Industry experts estimate that over the recent week of operations disruption caused by disturbance centring the quota reform campaign, shipping companies at Chattogram Port had lost at least Taka 14 crore.
The costs associated with empty containers, vessel charter hiring fees, and unused import/export containers in depots were some of the causes of the losses.
Shipping companies contended that they would suffer a significant increase in overall losses if they were to be fined at transshipment ports for delayed berthing. In retaliation, the store rent on containers discharged at the port between July 16 and August 15 has been waived by the Ministry of Shipping.
However, the Bangladesh Shipping Agents’ Association is calling for a broader waiver of port charges, berthing charges, empty container charges, and import/export container fees at depots.
Syed Mohammad Arif, the chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents’ Association, issued a letter to the Chattogram Port Authority and other pertinent organisations on Wednesday outlining the financial toll that the current crisis has taken on shipping businesses.
According to the shipping agent organisation, since July 18th, MLO, feeder, and bulk-break bulk agencies have experienced difficulties in managing vessels and carrying out all shipping-related tasks. Vessels’ berthing and outer anchorage stays, including turnaround times, have grown longer.
A mid-sized vessel’s daily charter hiring or operational costs are at least $20,000, and the operators of the vessel have already paid a significant sum in demurrage for the protracted stays of the vessel at berth and outer anchorage, which has caused the vessel’s turnaround time to be stretched.
The shipping agent association chairman told local media that due to the ongoing crisis, all ships arriving at the port now have to stay two to three days longer than usual. The demurrage costs will be borne by the shipping agents, he said.
According to Md. Omar Faruk, secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority, the shipping ministry is in responsible of any charge waivers granted by the port. Officials from the maritime sector also claim that the internet blackout and the railway closures have severely damaged the shipping industry.
The clearing and customs procedures at the port have been suspended, they claim, due to the curfew and the inability to connect online to the port customs system. According to the experts, there might not be any way for local shipping agents to communicate with their overseas parent corporations while there is an internet outage.
