A 15% increase in diesel prices has led to a unanimous proposal to raise freight charges for lighterage vessels used in inland waterway cargo transport by 10%. With approval from the Ministry of Shipping, a circular regarding this decision is expected to be issued Tomorrow Sunday, according to Director General (DG) of Shipping Commodore Shafiul Bari. Speaking to TBS, he said a meeting with stakeholders was held yesterday, where proposals ranged from an 8% to 20% fare increase. After reviewing all considerations, a 10% hike was deemed reasonable and accepted by all parties. He added that vessel owners’ associations typically negotiate freight rates with importers, but this time they requested the authorities to facilitate the discussion, leading to a consensus decision. Initially, the factory owners’ association was unwilling to accept more than a 5% increase, but later agreed. Parvez Ahmed, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell, said they could have raised fares independently but wanted the process to follow a structured framework, which is why they requested the DG Shipping to convene the meeting. Previously, the base freight rate on the Dhaka – Chittagong route was Tk 550 per ton, and they had proposed an 8.5% increase, while other associations suggested up to 15%. With the final 10% hike, the base rate will now stand at Tk 605 per ton. Transporting imported goods from the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port across the country via waterways costs less than half compared to road transport. More than 2,500 lighterage vessels are engaged in this sector, and despite taking more time, the majority of goods are transported by river. However, the increased fuel cost and the resulting 10% freight hike will ultimately be borne by consumers, potentially fueling inflation.
Lighterage ship fares for transporting goods by sea are increasing by 10 percent
