Recently, several shipping companies have issued urgent notices to remind everyone to contact the local consignee in Bangladesh as soon as possible to confirm whether the port names on bills of lading, letters of credit and other documents need to be modified, otherwise the local customs clearance may be affected.
Korea Shipping Notice: The bill of lading must be spelled with the new name in the future. If the port description is changed without authorization and the goods can no longer be cleared at the port of destination, all responsibilities shall be borne by the customer himself.
Changjin Merchant Shipping Notice: Although it is not mandatory to display the port under the new name, the shipping company will not be responsible if customs clearance is not possible due to the old name.
In April this year, the Bangladeshi government announced that it would rename the five regions in order to better conform to Bangladesh's native language. The five renamed areas are: Chittagong becomes Chatt Ogram, Comilla becomes Cum illa, Baris al becomes Baris Hal, Jess Ore becomes Jas Hora and Bog Ra becomes B Ogura.
Although the plan for renaming was announced in April, due to the sudden change, the Bangladeshi government also gave a certain delay period and did not force the immediate renaming. Therefore, many people still use the word " Chittagong" in bills of lading and letters of credit.
At present, the relevant buffer period has ended and the new name Chatt Ogram has been officially launched. The major shipping companies have also issued an urgent reminder to advise everyone to tell each other whether they need to amend bills of lading and letters of credit with their customers now. Otherwise, if the goods cannot be cleared locally because the name is not spelled correctly, it would be too unjust.
