Ctg-based lighter vessel owners announce split from Water Transport Cell

A section of lighter vessel owners mostly based in Chattogram today announced their separation from the Water Transport Cell (WTC) and declared their plan to separately transport import cargo from Chattogram port's outer anchorage.

Till date, the WTC, a private organisation, has been operating over 1,300 lighter vessels for last two decades.

The Chattogram-based vessel owners said they will operate separately under the platform of the Inland Vessel Owners Association of Chattogram (IVOAC).

The announcement came from a programme held at Hotel Agrabad in the port city this evening.

Sources said the split is the result of a long-time conflict between the leaders of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners' Association (BCVOA) and the IVOAC over controlling the WTC and the trade.

The IVOAC leaders alleged that a few vessel owners representing Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association (BCVOA)—who are now leading the WTC—have been controlling the cell and trade for the last few years, taking hostage of the general vessel owners.

Information Minister Hasan Mahmud attended the event as the chief guest where ruling party lawmaker from Dhaka-7 Haji Md Selim and former Chattogram City Corporation mayor AJM Nasir Uddin were special guests.

IVOAC President Haji Shafiq Ahammad chaired the meeting where IVOAC acting General Secretary Azizur Rahman, Water Transport Cargo Agents Association President Belayet Hossain spoke among others. 

The WTC was formed in 2004 comprising three organisations, including Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association (BCVOA), Coastal-Ship Owners Association of Bangladesh (COAB) and IVOAC, which so far operated over 1,500 lighter vessels.

Few years back, different industrial groups like Meghna Group, Abul Khaer Group, TK Group and others stopped hiring vessels from the WTC as they started transporting their imported goods through their own lighter vessels.

The IVOAC, which claims it has 300 lighter vessels under their control, has recently withdrew its WTC membership.