News Desk :
The operators of lighter vessels that transport goods from Chattogram port to other parts of Bangladesh have raised the freight charges by 15 percent after a hike in fuel prices.
The increase follows an increase in freight charges of road cargo transports, and bus and launch fares over a diesel price hike.
The Water Transport Cell, which operates the lighter vessels, announced the decision on Tuesday after a meeting on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
Representatives of Cargo Vessel Owners Association, Coastal Ship Owners Association, Container Ship Owners Association, Inland Vessel Owners Association and other relevant organisations attended the meeting.
The hike in lighter vessel charges will cause a Tk 62.25 per tonne rise in the cost of transporting goods through waterways from Chattogram port, according to Nurul Haque, secretary general of Cargo Vessel Owners Association.
Imported goods are unloaded to lighter vessels from mother ships at the outer anchorage of the port before being transported to other parts of the country through 34 routes.
Meanwhile, Water Transport Cell (WTC), the operator of the lighter ships, increased fares by 15%, effective from Monday (15 November), following the rise in fuel prices.
Ataul Kabir Ranju, Joint Secretary (Operations) of WTC, told the media that the decision to increase the fare was taken at a meeting held in Dhaka on 15 November.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association, Coastal Ship Owners Association, Container Ship Owners Association of Bangladesh, and Inland Vehicle Owners Association of Chattogram attended the meeting.
A statement signed by WTC Convener Nurul Haque, mentioned that the fare has been increased by 15% due to the adjustment
of fuel price in Kutubdia, the outer harbour of Chattogram port.
The goods are unloaded from the mother vessel at the outer harbour of Chattogram port and delivered to different shipping routes of the country in lighter ships.
At present, WTC has 1,300 ships under its jurisdiction.
The current list of lighter ships mentions 34 shipping routes in the country from the outer harbour of Chattogram port. The fare from the outer harbour to the Dhaka region is Tk415 per tonne.
