The report was presented at a seminar on "Chittagong Port: problems and prospects" organised by the TIB at the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI) auditorium.

Prof Khan Sarwar Murshid chaired the seminar moderated by Prof Mozaffar Ahmed. Muhammad Saidur Rahman Mollah presented the report.

Leaders of different organisations related to the port, including former commerce minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, CCCI President Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Chittagong Port Chairman AM Shahadat Hossain among others were present at the seminar.

The TIB report said exporters and importers have to give Tk 460 crore as bribe to the Customs House every year for exporting and importing goods through the port in addition to Tk 341 crore to the port itself.

For loading and unloading of goods, bribes are to be given at 15-18 different places while 14-40 other sections take bribes for releasing them from the Customs House.

Of the imported goods, the electronic gadgets are the costliest in terms of bribe as Tk 3,000 is spent for per tonne electronic goods, the report revealed.

On the other hand, vegetables are the most expensive among the export goods as per tonne vegetable needs Tk 1,700 as bribe.

Of the money needed to release containers from the port, 47 percent is its real value while the rest 53 percent is spent on bribes.

The other problems include port officials' tendency to take excessive bribe, procedural complications, age-old rules, monopoly domination of the operators and pilots, and excess labour unions, the report noted.

The report recommended a host of suggestions to resolve the problems. They are: giving Stevedoring Company the authority to appoint workers, engaging private sector for equipment handling, taking statements of assets of the employees and officials, and entrusting the port authorities with full power to solve the problems.

The TIB report was made on the basis of newspaper reports, direct observation and through the process of asking specific questions to the people concerned.