Sources however said the BSAA leaders retreated due to a 'no-support' stance of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and strong opposition by BGMEA President Tipu Munshi and others.

The rigid stance of the port authorities is also a reason to compel the shippers to withdraw their programmes, said the sources.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman AMM Shahadat Hossain held separate meetings with all port users including leaders of BGMEA, BSAA, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) yesterday.

The CPA chairman and the BGMEA president strongly opposed the last few days' agitation of the BSAA and told them there would be no negotiations unless the BSAA withdrew its stance.

Munshi and Shahadat both talked to reporters about the issue and said the BSAA agitation has no jurisdiction.

"The BSAA is a trade body and yet if it behaves like a trade union, we can't accept it," Munshi said.

"It is not the right way to find a solution to the problem," the CPA chairman told the reporters.

The crisis was finally resolved in the afternoon when a meeting between the CPA, BSAA and Port Users Forum had 'fruitful' negotiations.

The CPA at the meeting agreed to reduce 75 percent of the charges for three months for using the recently installed rail-mounted gantry cranes for container handling at Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT).

The meeting also formed an 11-member committee comprising members of the CPA, CCCI, BSAA and other users to assert the existing situation and fix a tariff for all within the period.

Sources said the shipping agents made booking for three ships, while 13 more vessels with containers were in queue at the outer anchorage yesterday to reach the port.

The BSAA refrained from operation of its vessels from January 30 to protest the CPA's imposition of 'additional charges' for using the gantry cranes, saying it would charge every container vessel an additional amount of around Tk 8 lakh to Tk 10 lakh.