In Depth: this feature brings together published reports and official statements, listed under Sources. Sections marked “Analysis” are Maritime News BD’s interpretation and are not reported facts.
What changed
Chattogram port raised its tariffs for the first time since 1986, The Daily Ittefaq English reported in September 2025: 23 of 52 tariff categories were approved for increases averaging about 41 per cent. Container handling saw the largest rise; the charge for a 20-foot container went from Tk 11,849 to Tk 16,243, about 37 per cent. The Financial Express reported that fees are now calculated at an exchange rate of Tk 122 per dollar, so they rise automatically if the taka weakens.
How it was introduced
The Ministry of Finance approved the tariffs on 24 July 2025 and the port announced them on 14 September. On 20 September, then Shipping Adviser Sakhawat Hossain put the decision on hold for a month, and the new rates took effect at midnight on 15 October 2025, The Financial Express reported. The Chattogram Port Users Forum asked the Chief Adviser to suspend the hike, arguing that the port “has enough reserve funds to modernise and expand its facilities”; users said some individual increases could reach 400 per cent.
The knock-on charges
Shipping lines followed. CMA CGM announced an “Emergency Cost Recovery Surcharge” of $40 to $350 per container from 26 October 2025, and MSC also announced surcharges, according to The Daily Star and The Financial Express. The Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association said other lines would likely do the same; BGMEA director MA Salam said the surcharges threaten garment competitiveness.
What the port earned
In calendar 2025, the Chittagong Port Authority earned Tk 54.6 billion, up 7.55 per cent, and contributed Tk 18.04 billion to the government, while handling a record 3.409 million TEUs, bdnews24.com reported in January 2026. Only about two and a half months of 2025 were under the new tariff.
Analysis
Two arguments run side by side in the record: that a 39-year-old tariff no longer reflected costs or the currency, and that a single large step, plus dollar indexation and line surcharges, landed on exporters at a difficult time. The first full year of revenue under the new schedule, and any change in freight costs passed to shippers, will show which effect dominates. Users’ complaints about clearance time and congestion suggest that charges are only part of the cost story.
Source
- The Daily Ittefaq English: “Ctg port ups tariffs after four decades” (15 September 2025)
- The Financial Express: “Enhanced Ctg port tariffs come into force amid strong opposition” (15 October 2025)
- The Daily Star: “Shipping line raises fees after Ctg port tariff hike” (October 2025)
- bdnews24.com: “Chattogram Port sails to record year as ship arrivals, cargo, revenue post broad-based growth” (2 January 2026)
File photo: container handling at Chattogram port. Photo: Moheen Reeyad / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This article was prepared by Maritime News BD from the report(s) and documents listed above; it was not independently reported by Maritime News BD.
