Govt waives 7-day port demurrage charges

The government has waived up to seven-days' port demurrage charges for any consignments arriving at the Chittagong port from 16 July to 5 August.

However, the facility will not be applicable to those who fail to take their goods from the port within 14 August, according to a shipping ministry gazette notification issued today (30 July).

Generally, imported goods can be kept at the port free of charge for up to four days after being unloaded from the ship. Following the shipping ministry's new notification, apparel export entrepreneurs will be eligible for an 11-day free-of-charge period.

Under the current port tariff, port charges commence after the initial four-day period. The charges for each 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container are $6 per day for the first seven days, $12 per day for the next 11 days, and $24 per day thereafter.

The notification comes two days after business leaders met with the State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury seeking a waiver on the charges.

Welcoming the government's decision, BGMEA President SM Mannan Kochi said, "We are grateful to the government for waiving the demurrage charges."

Port demurrage is a charge payable on failure to unload imported goods carrying containers within the time agreed upon. The fine is imposed for not being able to take delivery within six days after a container reaches a particular port.

Amid the ongoing unrest across the country centring on the quota reform movement, businesses have been unable to release their goods from the Ctg port, the main trade gateway of the country.

Internet disruptions and the ongoing curfew have put pressure on port authorities and businesses to release the goods on time.