Maritime law society serves legal notice, seeks cancellation of new port tariff circular

The Bangladesh Maritime Law Society (BMLS) today served a legal notice on the government and Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), seeking cancellation of the recently issued circular enforcing the new port tariff, terming it "illegal and beyond the provisions of the parent law."

BMLS President Mohiuddin Abdul Kadir served the notice, and the recipients include secretaries of three ministries and the chairman and an official of the CPA.

In the notice, BMLS urged the authorities to cancel and recall the CPA circular dated September 30, 2025, which directed that the new tariff schedule would be effective from October 15.

The government published a gazette on the new tariff schedule on September 14.

The society sent the notice to the secretaries of the shipping, finance, and law ministries; the CPA chairman; and its chief finance and accounts officer, giving them 72 hours to withdraw the circular or face legal action.

According to the notice, under the new tariff schedule, service charges at the port under various heads were sharply raised.

The average container handling charge per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) has been raised from Tk 11,849 to Tk 16,243, while fees on imported containers increased by Tk 5,720 and on export containers by Tk 3,045.

The charge for loading and unloading containers from vessels jumped from $43.40 to $68.00, it said.

The BMLS termed the hike "burdensome" for businesses, exporters, and consumers, warning that it would raise the cost of operations for domestic manufacturers and make Bangladeshi exports less competitive in global markets.

The notice further alleged that the consultancy firms M/S Idiom, Consulting, Engineering & Architecture, Spain JV, and M/S Logicform Limited, Dhaka—engaged by the CPA to recommend the tariff adjustment—lacked experience in port management and operations.

The appointment of such consultants, it said, "was made without following due process and not in the public interest."

Citing Section 33(5) of the Port Act 1908, the BMLS argued in its notice that an order increasing or imposing port dues cannot take effect until 60 days after its publication in the official gazette.

The CPA's move to enforce the new rates within 30 days, from October 14, therefore, "travels beyond the parent law and is ultra vires," the notice stated.

The society urged the government and the CPA to form a committee comprising stakeholders from various sectors to review and rationalise the tariff before implementing it.

Failing to withdraw the circular within 72 hours, the notice warned, the BMLS would initiate legal proceedings to "protect the interest of the public as well as the country and the port."