Published : 21 Sep 2026, 10:19 PM
Updated : 21 Sep 2026, 10:19 PM
Following a hike in fuel oil prices, berth operators at Chittagong Port have asked the Port chairman to increase container handling charges.
The request was made in a letter submitted Monday on behalf of the Berth Operators, Ship Handling Operators and Terminal Operators Owners’ Association.
“We are still operating based on 2022 rates. Although fuel prices have risen several times since then, our container handling rates have not increased,” association President Fazle Ekram Chowdhury told bdnews24.com.
“We submitted a letter to the Port Chairman today. We expect to hear from them in a day or two. We do not wish to impose anything. Any decision should be reached through discussion so that both parties can remain in a favourable position.”
According to the letter, member berth operators submitted bids in response to a tender issued on Jan 19, 2022, based on fuel and commodity prices prevailing at the time.
Diesel prices rose by Tk 34 per litre on Aug 5, 2022. The operators said they had requested an adjustment of contract rates to reflect the increase, but no action was taken.
Diesel prices subsequently increased by another Tk 15 per litre and, most recently, by Tk 20 per litre on Sunday.
The letter said diesel cost Tk 80 per litre when the tender was submitted, compared with Tk 135 now – a 69 percent increase.
“It has become impossible for our member berth operators to continue operating activities while grappling with this financial crisis,” it said, adding that the higher fuel prices had already been adjusted across other sectors.
As container handling operations depend entirely on transport, the operators urged the Port chairman to take immediate steps to revise the charges in line with the latest fuel price hike and the existing container handling contract rates.
