The Container Carrying Ship Owners Association (CCSOP) and Main Line Operation (MLO) at a meeting in Singapore raised freight charges by 80 per cent on cargo going to strike-bound Chittagong. CCSOP-MLO has raised freight rates to US$450 more per TEU on full container loads and raised charges to US$150 more per TEU from US$100, reports the Dhaka's New Nation newspaper.From December 1, the Chittagong-Singapore, Chittagong-Malaysia and Chittagong-Colombo routes will be hit by the increased rates because of a strike that has lasted 16 days.
CCSOP said the decision was taken to recoup recent losses caused by ship congestion at the strike-bound port, a dispute centred on who should operate the gantry cranes. The Dock Sramik Union stopped work on November 12 demanding cancellation of appointment of foreign operators of gantry cranes and the termination of SAIF Power Tech's contract covering this. Port Authority chairman M Moslehuddin said he had discussed the matter with shipping advisor M Azizul Haque in Dhaka but the meeting ended inconclusively. The Chittagong Chamber and other organisations that use the port have sought immediate invention from the president of Bangladesh.
CCSOP said the decision was taken to recoup recent losses caused by ship congestion at the strike-bound port, a dispute centred on who should operate the gantry cranes. The Dock Sramik Union stopped work on November 12 demanding cancellation of appointment of foreign operators of gantry cranes and the termination of SAIF Power Tech's contract covering this. Port Authority chairman M Moslehuddin said he had discussed the matter with shipping advisor M Azizul Haque in Dhaka but the meeting ended inconclusively. The Chittagong Chamber and other organisations that use the port have sought immediate invention from the president of Bangladesh.