The Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) has postponed its planned suspension of export and empty container handling operations for a month following a constructive meeting with the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) chairman on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier, private inland container depot (ICD) operators had verbally informed their clients that all export and empty container handling would be halted starting December 11, citing financial constraints due to the non-implementation of a proposed increase in charges. The announcement had raised concerns over a potential disruption in the export supply chain through Chattogram port.

In response, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman convened an emergency meeting with BICDA leaders at 4 p.m. at Chattogram port. Present at the meeting were BICDA President Khalilur Rahman, Vice Presidents Imran Fahim Noor, Haji Md Hossain, Benojir Nissan, and Secretary General Md Ruhul Amin Sikder.

CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said the chairman urged BICDA to postpone the suspension for a month and resolve the issue through discussions with all relevant stakeholders—a request that the association agreed to.

During the meeting, BICDA representatives outlined three key demands: the withdrawal of a High Court case regarding the ban on the ICD tariff increase, the removal of the one-sided tariff committee from the ICD Policy due to its majority representation of service users, and a rational adjustment of ICD charges, according to Secretary General Md Ruhul Amin Sikder.

BICDA had originally announced in July a 60 percent increase in charges for handling export cargoes and empty containers, effective from September 1, citing rising operational costs, investment needs, currency devaluation, and inflationary pressures. Port users opposed the decision from the outset and refused to pay the revised rates. After failed mediation attempts, the matter reached the High Court, which suspended the new tariff. The shipping ministry later clarified that no new charges could be imposed without approval from the tariff committee.