The Bangladesh Shipping Agents’ Association (BSAA) has called on the government to review the newly imposed tariff structure at Chattogram Port, warning that the steep increases and abrupt implementation could undermine trade competitiveness and strain the national economy.

In a letter sent on Sunday to the senior secretary of the shipping ministry and the chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), the trade body described the tariff hike, announced through a statutory regulatory order on 14 September, as “unprecedented and commercially unsustainable.”

The revised tariff came into effect on 15 September, only a day after the order was issued, leaving industry stakeholders little time to prepare. Although the port authority later deferred implementation to 15 October, BSAA said the one-month extension was “wholly inadequate,” noting that global shipping contracts and budgets are typically set months in advance.

According to the association, tug hire charges for a 190-metre vessel have soared from $2,907 to $15,709 — a jump of more than 500 percent. It said the overall tariff revision represents an average 70 percent increase across key service categories.

“Such a drastic hike is commercially unsustainable for both national and international shipping lines,” the letter said. “It poses a significant threat to the competitiveness of Chittagong Port and the national economy.”

The BSAA warned that the new rates could prompt foreign shipping lines to reroute vessels to competing regional ports, driving up import costs and eroding the competitiveness of Bangladeshi exports.

It also pointed out that many CPA tariff items are denominated in US dollars, meaning their real cost has already risen over time due to currency depreciation.