Bangladesh enacts maiden shipping agent licensing rules

The government of Bangladesh has issued the country’s first-ever shipping agent licensing rules, allowing shipping agents to work in any sea or river port by obtaining a license from any customs station in the country.

The shipping agents have termed the new rules a significant step toward streamlining shipping business operations in the country.

In the past, shipping agents were licensed under the customs agent rules, which created various complications, as both the businesses of customs and forwarding (C&F) agents and shipping agents had to operate under a single policy.