There has been instability and chaos in the coal transport sector in coal-based thermal power plants, the main driving force of the country's energy security. Despite the existence of specific policies and a fixed rental list, lighter ship owners are facing losses due to the syndicate of some middlemen logistics companies.
The syndicate does not have lighter ships. They rent ships from different owners. But they do not pay fair rent to the ship owners. On the other hand, ship owners are also forced to rent ships under pressure from the relevant government institutions. On the one hand, due to the syndicate crisis against the high price of fuel oil and skyrocketing operating costs, coal-carrying ship owners are now at a loss. They claim that if the middlemen cannot be freed from the influence of the syndicate, it will become difficult to operate lighter ships. As a result, a terrible crisis may arise in coal transport. Concerned parties fear that production at coal-based power plants likes Rampal and Payra will be disrupted, leading to severe load shedding and a disaster in the power sector.
According to the information, currently, out of the five coal-based thermal power plants in the country, except for the Matarbari power plant, the rest of the plants cannot be directly accessed by 'mother vessels' or large ships carrying coal due to geographical and river navigability problems. As a result, coal has to be unloaded from the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port through lighterage (small ships) and taken to the power plant by river. But the 'grab' of the crane used for unloading coal at Rampal or Payra power plants is relatively large, which is about 35 cubic meters in volume.
As a result, the hatch or ‘khop’ of ordinary small lighter ships of one to two thousand tons is small, so the grab of those cranes cannot enter there. However, the Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell (BWTCC) often allocates small ships without considering the matter, which is unsuitable for unloading coal for the power plant. Taking this as an opportunity, some middlemen logistics companies have formed a powerful syndicate in collusion with the BWTCC.
Ship owners' complaint: Some companies, including those owned by two businessmen close to the fallen Awami League government, are involved in this syndicate. Among them, QNS Shipping Logistics Chairman Nurul Qayum Khan served as the president of the depot owners' organization Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) for a long time during the Awami League government. On the other hand, the AMMS Group owned by Shafiqul Alam Jewel supplied various products including heavy equipment to various mega projects during the Awami League government.
The affected ship owners said that these companies get sub-contracts for coal transportation from the main contractor of Rampal or Payra power plants. But they do not have enough lighter ships of their own. As a result, they rent ships from different owners in violation of the BWTCC rules. In this case, they do not pay the fair rent to the ship owner. The ship owners are also forced to pay the ship rent under pressure from the relevant government institutions. The victims said that the middleman companies are renting ships and paying half of the per ton fare fixed by the Department of Shipping and BWTCC for coal transport on the Mongla or Payra route from Chattogram. In this regard, Parvez Ahmed, Vice Chairman of the Inland Vessel Owners Association of Chattogram (IVOAC), admitted the violence occurred by the middlemen and said that the number of ships that take sub-contracts from the main contractors is small. As a result, they have been operating the lighter owner's ships directly at low fares, which is creating instability in this sector. However, Nurul Qayum Khan, the Chairman of QNS Shipping Logistics, denied the allegations.
He said that the fare of the lighter ship carrying coal is determined with the consent of the owner. When contacted, AMMS Group managing director Shafiqul Alam Jewel was informed that he is admitted to the hospital under treatment.
Protest against half-fare syndicate: Ship owners protested against the syndicate of the middleman company on May 17. At that time, they demanded 100% implementation of the BWTCC policy. Later, the Department of Shipping held an emergency meeting with the owners on the same day.
When asked about this, BWTCC convener Shafiq Ahmed has said that the Department of Shipping will create a separate serial pool for the transport of ships to the Payra coal-based power plant. The government will also determine the fare. There are more than 1,000 lighter ships under BWTCC. In addition to this, the owners of large industries have their own lighter ships. They transport their own raw materials or products. The government gazette clearly states that all the remaining lighter ships will operate in the serial or pool of BWTCC.
Mirza Saifur Rahman, chief engineer and ship surveyor (routine duty) of the Department of Shipping, said, "The matter has been discussed. It has been decided to supervise. I hope the ministry will take a final decision on this matter."
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
