Theft and piracy have become a matter of concern for the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) as six such incidents took place in vessels arriving at the port in the six months to July this year.

So, the port authority has made it mandatory for the shipping agents to appoint private watchmen from the CPA Watchmen Booking Cell for the arriving vessels anchored either at the port jetties or at the outer anchorage.

Normally, shipping agents take watchmen from the CPA Watchmen Booking Cell only for the vessels berthed at the port's main jetties while they usually deploy watchmen from some CPA enlisted private vendors for the vessels at outer anchorage and dolphin jetties.

Meanwhile, the shipping agents' association has opposed the directive on mandatory engagement of watchmen from CPA Booking Cell, saying it would increase their costs by five to six times.

According to the CPA, six vessels named MV Zafar Hanif, MT Success, MV NCC Messila, MV Team Focus, MT Orion Express and MV Meelina fell victim to theft and piracy in six months to July.

According to the CPA, six vessels named MV Zafar Hanif, MT Success, MV NCC Messila, MV Team Focus, MT Orion Express and MV Meelina fell victim to theft and piracy in six months to July.

Five of these were anchored at the outer anchorage while the other was in a dolphin jetty.

One each of such incidents occurred in February and May and two each in June and July.

On June 8, the CPA Security Department held a meeting with the representatives of Coast Guard, police, Rapid Action Battalion and others where a decision was taken on mandatory engagement of watchmen only from the CPA Cell for all ships.

Through a letter on August 21, the CPA director for security informed Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) about the decision and request all to comply with it.

But on August 30 through a letter, BSAA Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif opposed the decision and requested the CPA director to stop implementing it.

The CPA took the decision without discussing the issue with the agents' association, Arif said.

He told The Daily Star that the CPA renders security services to safeguard ships at the port with combined efforts of the Port Security Department, Coast Guard, Bangladesh Marine Police and others.

At that time, custom officers and ship handling operators' staff also remain present on board in order to monitor everything until the completion of operation, he said.

"So, there is no logical ground for deployment of additional watchmen for security purposes."

He said deployment of watchmen taken from CPA enlisted vendors for security of vessels at the outer anchorage has been prevailing for many years and payment of whom were borne by the respective vendors.

The CPA should not recruit watchmen from private firms if additional security is needed for vessels, rather the cost must be incorporated in the port tariff through gazette, he said.

Only then, the realisation of the spending for additional watchmen from foreign shipping lines would be logical, Arif said.

CPA Director for Security Lieutenant Colonel Mostafa Arif-ur Rahman Khan said many vendors hired by shipping agents do not properly appoint watchmen at the vessels at the outer anchorage, increasing the risk of thefts.

He said the private watchmen enlisted with the CPA Booking Cell, established in 2010, are trained ones and the CPA has control over them to evaluate their performance.

Six watchmen are needed to do duty in a vessel every day.

The BSAA leader said if watchmen from the CPA Watchmen Booking Cell are engaged in a vessel, the total cost will be over $100 a day, which is five to six times higher than the presently engaged watchmen through vendors.

This increased cost will be paid by the shipping lines and would be passed on to the importers through carriers and finally the end consumers will feel the pinch, he said.