The penalty for leaving containers in yards past free time at Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port has been doubled to US$12 per TEU per day and $24 per FEU, in a bid to ease congestion.
Previously, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) allowed importers to store containers free of charge for four days after unloading from a vessel before charging $6 and $12 per TEU and FEU, respectively, and after seven days in storage the rate doubled, reported IHS Media.
The country’s prime sea port is reeling from the lack of adequate space compared with its growth, leading to congestion throughout the port area. It now can store a total of 36,357 TEU, of which 26,857 TEU are import containers, 4,000 TEU are export containers, and 5,500 TEU are empty containers.