Representatives of CFTC (Chittagong Feeder Trade Committee) led by Secretary General SC Lim will attend the meeting at the commerce ministry since the owners of the foreign feeder vessels yesterday expressed their inability to attend the meeting before Thursday.

The owners are reportedly will hold a meeting in Singapore today. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association in a meeting here yesterday decided to attend the ministry meeting in support of withdrawal of the surcharge.

All feeder-vessel operating companies, except the HRC Shipping, under the banner of CFTC stopped loading and unloading of containers at the port on Saturday following a High Court show-cause notice about imposition of congestion surcharge.

The crisis arose when the CFTC imposed $130 for each twenty-equivalent-unit container as congestion surcharge from June 5 and realised around Tk 210 crore.

Sources said of the three agitating members of CFTC, Advanced Container Lines and Sea Consortium were still sticking to their stance. But Orient Express Lines (OEL) showed reluctance to the agitation.

Ten feeder vessels including those of the three agitating CFTC members took berthing at different jetties of the port.

Two vessels -- Banga Barat of HRC and Ultima of OEL -- departed the port when two others -- Banga Bijoy of HRC and QC Honour of QC-- took berthing.

Of the two vessels that entered the port yesterday (Monday), Banga Bijoy took berthing at New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) marking the inauguration of the newly constructed container terminal at 9:15am.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman AMM Shahadat Hossain and other officials of CPA and representatives of the port users were present at the launching ceremony of NCT.

Three vessels were in the outer anchorage waiting for berthing at the port jetty while two others were due to arrive at the outer anchorage.