Container transport at Chattogram Port has been severely disrupted after the entry fee for heavy vehicles was increased from Tk 57 to Tk 230. The privately owned trailers, which usually carry containers on inter-district routes, have stopped operating in protest.
The new fee came into effect on October 15, leading to a halt in trailer movement from the port. As a result, container transportation from the port has almost come to a standstill, although trailers operating between off-docks or private depots are still running to some extent.
According to Mohammad Hossain, General Secretary of the Chattogram Prime Mover and Flatbed Owners Association, this is not an official strike, but operations have been suspended because there is no decision yet on whether the extra charge will be borne by drivers or owners.
He said, “Heavy vehicles from Chattogram to Dhaka and other destinations run on fixed line costs that include fees, tolls, and tips. When fuel prices rise, these rates are revised. We’ve already discussed the matter with the port’s security director, and we hope to hold further discussions once the port chairman returns from Dhaka.”
Hossain added that trailer movement has been suspended since the night of October 14.
Meanwhile, Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA), said that since prime mover owners’ trailers operate on inter-district routes, their suspension has partially disrupted the movement of depot trailers that carry containers between the port and private depots.
As a result, port activities are now facing significant delays and operational slowdowns.