Ctg port cancels permission of 7 vessels of French shipping line over surcharge

Business Desk:

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has cancelled permission for seven vessels of French shipping giant CMA CGM after the company imposed a surcharge on containers, ignoring the authority’s directive to refrain from hiking charges.

In response to the increase in tariffs on various services by the port, several foreign shipping lines or main line operators (MLOs) initiated the move to impose additional surcharges on containers moving to and from Chattogram to offset higher tariffs, which became effective in the early hours of October 15 amid opposition from businesses.

Of them, CMA CGM imposed an “Emergency Cost Recovery Surcharge” ranging from $45 to $350 per container on October 7, prompting the port authorities to instruct the operator not to do this.