The Pangaon Inland Container Terminal remains practically unutilised even after 20 months of its launch because mainly of higher cost of container vessel and other port charges compared with that of the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot, according to a report by the Pangaon Customs House of the National Board of Revenue.
Lack of container and irregular schedule of vessels are also discouraging the importers and exporters from using the port inaugurated in November 2013, it said.
The customs house has recently sent the report to the revenue board and recommended that the NBR should arrange an inter-ministerial meeting involving the shipping ministry to solve the problems particularly rationalising the vessel and port tariffs.
For using the terminal traders have to bear nearly double cost including container vessel rent and port-related tariffs compared with that of Kamalapur ICD and roadways and that has kept the importers and exporters away the terminal, Pangaon customs commissioner Mustaba Ali told New Age on Saturday.
He said that the customs authorities had requested the shipping ministry and Chittagong Port Authority for rationalising the rent and other charges to attract the traders to use the terminal.
He said that NBR chairman Md Nojibur Rahman was giving top priority to make the terminal fully functional for higher revenue generation.
According to the Pangaon Customs House, traders have to bear a total of $138.27 including vessel fare and port charges for transporting up to 15 tonnes of imported goods from Chittagong to the Kamalapur ICD by railway while it costs $206.25 for transportation of the same volume of the imported goods from Chittagong to Pangaon by rivers.
The same volume of to-be-exported goods takes $80.87 from Kamalapur to Chittagong by railway and $206.25 from Pangaon to Chittagong by rivers, it said.
Other charges are also higher in Pangaon, it said.
According to the customs house, only six vessels carrying mostly empty containers and very few containers stuffed with imported goods arrived at the Pangaon ICT from the Chittagong Port in the just concluded fiscal year as the importers and exporters were not showing interest to use the terminal situated in Keraniganj on the bank of River Buriganga.
The terminal has a handling capacity of 20 feet equivalent units or TEU 1.16 lakh containers annually.
In June, a vessel with the carrying capacity of 128 containers arrived at the terminal but the vessel was laden with 10 stuffed containers, a customs official said.
He said that it also carried 15 empty containers to keep balance of the vessel.
Currently, the Chittagong Port Authority operates three vessels on the route but it has also no schedule for running the ships due to lack of containers, according to a report of the Pangaon ICT.
On the other hand, shipping agents also showed no interest in providing containers to traders as the vessels do not maintain schedule, it said.
No private vessels are being operated on the route though the government provided permission to some private companies to do the business.
Shipping ministry officials said in June they formed a committee to recommend measures for setting a rationalised container vessel fare for the Chittagong-Pangaon route for at least next six months to attract the traders to use the terminal.
The Chittagong Port Authority has also been asked to reduce tariffs set for the Pangaon ICT in line with the Kamalapur ICD, they said.
The ministry will finalise the reduced container vessel fare soon, they added.
Another five container vessels will be added by the private sector by the next six months and that will improve the situation, they added.
Lack of container and irregular schedule of vessels are also discouraging the importers and exporters from using the port inaugurated in November 2013, it said.
The customs house has recently sent the report to the revenue board and recommended that the NBR should arrange an inter-ministerial meeting involving the shipping ministry to solve the problems particularly rationalising the vessel and port tariffs.
For using the terminal traders have to bear nearly double cost including container vessel rent and port-related tariffs compared with that of Kamalapur ICD and roadways and that has kept the importers and exporters away the terminal, Pangaon customs commissioner Mustaba Ali told New Age on Saturday.
He said that the customs authorities had requested the shipping ministry and Chittagong Port Authority for rationalising the rent and other charges to attract the traders to use the terminal.
He said that NBR chairman Md Nojibur Rahman was giving top priority to make the terminal fully functional for higher revenue generation.
According to the Pangaon Customs House, traders have to bear a total of $138.27 including vessel fare and port charges for transporting up to 15 tonnes of imported goods from Chittagong to the Kamalapur ICD by railway while it costs $206.25 for transportation of the same volume of the imported goods from Chittagong to Pangaon by rivers.
The same volume of to-be-exported goods takes $80.87 from Kamalapur to Chittagong by railway and $206.25 from Pangaon to Chittagong by rivers, it said.
Other charges are also higher in Pangaon, it said.
According to the customs house, only six vessels carrying mostly empty containers and very few containers stuffed with imported goods arrived at the Pangaon ICT from the Chittagong Port in the just concluded fiscal year as the importers and exporters were not showing interest to use the terminal situated in Keraniganj on the bank of River Buriganga.
The terminal has a handling capacity of 20 feet equivalent units or TEU 1.16 lakh containers annually.
In June, a vessel with the carrying capacity of 128 containers arrived at the terminal but the vessel was laden with 10 stuffed containers, a customs official said.
He said that it also carried 15 empty containers to keep balance of the vessel.
Currently, the Chittagong Port Authority operates three vessels on the route but it has also no schedule for running the ships due to lack of containers, according to a report of the Pangaon ICT.
On the other hand, shipping agents also showed no interest in providing containers to traders as the vessels do not maintain schedule, it said.
No private vessels are being operated on the route though the government provided permission to some private companies to do the business.
Shipping ministry officials said in June they formed a committee to recommend measures for setting a rationalised container vessel fare for the Chittagong-Pangaon route for at least next six months to attract the traders to use the terminal.
The Chittagong Port Authority has also been asked to reduce tariffs set for the Pangaon ICT in line with the Kamalapur ICD, they said.
The ministry will finalise the reduced container vessel fare soon, they added.
Another five container vessels will be added by the private sector by the next six months and that will improve the situation, they added.
Source: New Age
