The biggest logistics story for China-Bangladesh cargo this week is not a rate move but a cost move: the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has officially gazetted an average 41 percent increase in port service charges, effective Monday, September 15 — the first major tariff revision in nearly four decades. Signed by port chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman and published on September 6, the revised fee schedule touches almost every step of vessel and cargo handling, and it will flow directly into landed costs for importers and into the quoted door-to-door rates for Bangladesh-bound shipments from China. At the same time, the wider market is entering the pre-Golden Week squeeze, with carriers cutting sailings on the transpacific while Asia-Europe space loosens. Here is what the numbers say and how shippers should respond.
The composite indices tell a story of divergence by trade lane — transpacific firm, Asia-Europe soft, Middle East steady:
| Benchmark (period) | Reading | Weekly Move |
|---|---|---|
| Drewry WCI composite (Sep 3) | USD 4,465 / 40 ft | flat |
| SCFI composite (Sep 4) | 3,590.05 points | **+2.29%** (6th weekly gain) |
| SCFI Far East → US West Coast | USD 7,242 / FEU | **+4.4%** |
| SCFI Far East → US East Coast | USD 10,324 / FEU | **+2.8%** |
| SCFI Far East → North Europe | USD 2,643 / TEU | -2.7% |
| SCFI Far East → Mediterranean | USD 3,442 / TEU | -3.2% |
| SCFI Far East → Persian Gulf (Dubai) | USD 6,135 / TEU | broadly flat |
On the Drewry reading, Shanghai to Los Angeles rose 5% to USD 7,185 per 40 ft and Shanghai to New York climbed 3% to USD 9,587, while Shanghai to Genoa fell 10% to USD 4,368 and Shanghai to Rotterdam dropped 5% to USD 4,092. Drewry also reports its Intra-Asia Container Index up 9% to USD 1,312 per FEU, a fifth straight weekly gain, driven by Middle East tensions and weather-related congestion. For China shippers the practical read: space on US-bound sailings is tightening fast, Europe and the Mediterranean are getting cheaper, and Middle East rates remain workable near USD 6,135 per TEU.
The CPA says the overhaul is needed to cover years of rising fuel, maintenance and operating costs, and to benchmark against regional ports. The scale of the revision is unusual — key items include:
Industry reaction has been sharp. The Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association warns the hike lands on top of already volatile global shipping costs and is asking for phased implementation or relief for smaller firms. Operationally, though, the port itself is running smoothly again: Kuehne+Nagel seaexplorer data (September 8) shows the 7-day average vessel wait at Chittagong at about 1.14 days with yard utilisation near 70%, a full recovery from the early-September transport strike. Colombo, the main transshipment hub for Bangladesh feeders, shows a 2.33 day average wait.
There is context beyond the fee table: at the Belt and Road Initiative Summit in Hong Kong on September 9, the Bangladesh commerce minister confirmed that relations with China now include 17 signed agreements, covering the modernisation of Mongla Port and a Chinese economic and industrial zone in Chattogram (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha). Trade infrastructure investment is accelerating even as user charges rise.
With the October 1 to 8 factory shutdown approaching, carriers are publishing blank sailings rather than carrying half-full vessels:
For Bangladesh, Israel and Africa-bound cargo the Golden Week effect is more about schedule compression than headline rates: fewer feeder connections, tighter LCL consolidation windows and higher rollover risk in the last fortnight of September.
Capacity on Middle East trades is set to grow. Sogese September market reporting notes that COSCO and OOCL launched a direct China-Jeddah service linking Shanghai, Ningbo and Nansha with the main Red Sea gateway of Saudi Arabia, alongside a separate seven-vessel Asia-Red Sea loop running via Singapore and the Suez Canal. Every additional Suez transit shortens voyages and adds effective capacity on Gulf and Red Sea strings — good news for shippers who saw Middle East spot rates hold stubbornly near USD 6,135 per TEU through the peak. Expect looser conditions on Gulf sailings toward the fourth quarter if the Suez normalisation continues.
Spider Logistics monitors CPA tariff changes, blank-sailing programmes and lane-level rates every week and confirms the current cost position for each destination before you book — China to Bangladesh, Israel, the Middle East and Africa, by sea or air, with customs clearance and door delivery included.
Tags: Chittagong Port | Port Tariff | Bangladesh Shipping | Container Shipping Rates | Golden Week | Middle East Freight | China to Bangladesh | Industry Insights