Lighters’ fare raised by 15-22pc for fuel price hike

 

Lighter vessel proprietors yesterday declared a 15 to 22 percent expansion in passages for shipping imported products on various inland water courses because of the new climb in fuel costs.

The Water Transport Cell (WTC), a confidential association that organizes the portion and timetables of lighter vessels, took the choice after a crisis meeting of its chief board of trustees yesterday evening.

In a roundabout gave subsequent to meeting, the WTC said the new rates would be viable since August 6.

Heads of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association, Coastal Ship Owners Association of Bangladesh, Inland Vessel Owners Association of Chattogram, WTC Goods Agents Association, and WTC Local Agents Association went to the gathering at the WTC office in the Agrabad business area of Chattogram.

As per the roundabout, 22% of the current charge has been added to the rates referenced in the WTC passage graph for shipping products from Kutubdia, the external jetty of Chittagong Port, and various ghats of Karnaphuli stream to Dhaka, Barishal and Chandpur.

In addition, the charge taken for shipping products to different objections has been raised by 15%, it said. 

In any case, the charge for shipping imported products from the external harbor to various ghats of Karnaphuli waterway stays same, a WTC official said.

He went on say that it would recently cost a normal of Tk 478 for each ton for shipping concrete clinker and other unrefined components of concrete manufacturing plants from Chattogram to Dhaka.

Presently, the new admission for shipping these materials will be Tk 583 for each ton, he added.

The WTC arranges around 1,800 lighter vessels participated in dumping imported mass cargoes from mother vessels at the external harbor of Chittagong Port as well as Kutubdia dock and conveying the products to nearly 40 objections the nation over through inland streams.

Around 93% of the nation's all out imports are conveyed to Chittagong Port, where around 70% of them are delivered at the external dock. Overall, 1.40 crore lots of various kinds of imported cargoes are moved every year utilizing lighter vessels under the WTC. In 2020, the figure was around 1.47 crore tons.

Nonetheless, merchants communicated worry over the passage climb as it would affect the cost of imported wares, including modern items. 

Abul Bashar Chowdhury, executive of driving item shipper BSM Group, said such a climb in passages in the midst of the expansion in dollar rates and winning monetary emergency would increment generally transport costs for imported products. Furthermore, it would without a doubt affect the ware market, eventually influencing the buyers.

"Clearly the water transport admissions would be expanded because of the new fuel cost climb however the WTC shouldn't have expanded the charge alone," he said.

Such a choice should be taken in a gathering composed by government delegates and in presence of the different partners, including significant bringing in firms, so the charge can be changed sensibly, Chowdhury added.