A Saudi firm-operated Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) has imposed four-time higher store rent on stockpiled cargoes to pressure traders not to use the facility as warehouse.
This happens to be the first time in its history the port operator imposed such penalty on the users who stockpile cargoes beyond the free period of 11 days after they are unpacked from the boxes at the container freight stations (CFSs)
The penalty, imposed by Saudi-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), is applicable to less than container load (LCL) cargoes only, effective from the first of July.
The RSGT management has taken the measure after repeated calls from the operator have failed to draw attention of the terminal users that led to huge stockpile of cargoes at the CFSs.
Spokesperson for the company Syed Aref Sarwar, Head of Commercial and Public Affairs, told The Financial Express the situation came to such a pass that no space is left to open cargoes anymore.
He says some users of the terminal, maybe they are 25 per cent in number, use the CFSs as warehouse as only Tk 68 is charged per day for storing one-tonne cargoes there.
"As the cost is minimal, they think our CFSs are their warehouse," says Mr Sarwar, adding that they had no option but to impose the additional rent in order to free the spaces.
He says the measure is taken to alert the customers to take delivery of their cargos fast or face penalties.
Mr Sarwar explains that they have imposed the penalty in line with the port's 'yellow book' of rules.
Officials say on June 1st, the company, titled RSGT-Bangladesh, issued a notification informing the importers and the members of the Chittagong Customs Agents Association about the imposition of the penalty effective from the first day of the new financial year.
Also, the operator recently issued a reminder to the customs and forwarding agents to inform their customers about the developments.
RSGT is the first foreign company that is operating any Bangladeshi port terminal. After building the terminal by spending some Tk 20.75 billion, the Chittagong Port Authority leased out the terminal to the firm back in June 2024.
The 600-metre-long container terminal, constructed by Bangladesh Army on 32 acres of land, has an annual handling capacity of 450,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export-import containers.
The terminal has capacity to accommodate three vessels, up to 10.5-metre-water draft having 190-metre length, and a 220-metre-long oil tanker at a time.
Recently, RSGT brought four gantry cranes by spending $30 million from China for the terminal. Earlier, the operator had spent $26 million to buy 14 rubber-tyred gantry cranes to make the terminal ready for full-fledged operation.
On their part, the port users oppose the decision to slap four times store rent for LCL cargoes.
General Secretary of Chittagong Customs Agents Association Md Showkat Ali says RSGT has no rights to impose such a high store rent on port users.
"We have already informed RSGT Bangladesh about our reservation on this."
syful-islam@outlook.com
