PDA vs Final DA at Chattogram: Where the File Actually Closes
The proforma is a planning instrument. The Final DA is the close-out. Disputes start when those two files are treated as the same document.
On a Bangladesh port call, the proforma disbursement account (PDA) is issued so the appointing principal can fund the call before the vessel arrives. PDAs for Chattogram calls after the October 2025 tariff revision should be built from the current gazette schedule rather than an older template. The Final DA is issued after sailing, once port dues, pilotage, tugs, shifting, attendance and approved third-party costs are supported by vouchers. Treating them as one continuous spreadsheet is the most common source of file friction.
What the PDA is for
The PDA is a cost basis for the expected call: berth or anchorage profile, pilotage and tug assumptions, agency attendance, and any pre-approved husbandry or survey items. It is not a fixed price contract. When the vessel particulars, ETA window, cargo method or terminal assignment change, the cost basis changes with them.
Written approval before third-party cost remains the control point. If a launch, surveyor, technician or extra shift was not on the approved basis, it should not appear on the Final DA without a clear instruction trail.
What the Final DA must show
A usable Final DA ties each material line to supporting evidence: port invoices, pilot/tug records, attendance logs, and principal-approved work orders. Hatch-wise or stage-wise records help when lighterage, shifting or waiting time drove cost beyond the proforma.
Pending payment and settlement-of-account follow-up are normal. Outstanding balances should be reconciled against the same voucher pack, not against memory of the original PDA total.
Where disputes usually start
Anchorage-only basis in the PDA, berth working in the event. Shifting and second pilotage not flagged when the berth plan changed. Survey or stevedore-related attendance added without written approval. Currency, tax or bank charge lines that were never explained in the proforma explanations. Final DA issued before key vouchers were available, then revised without a clear supersession statement.
Practical control for principals
Appointing principals should require a short variance explanation with the Final DA: material lines that moved, why, and which approval covers them. Owners using protective agency can run a parallel review of the nominated agent's PDA/FDA without replacing the port agent.
CPA closes appointed files on voucher-backed Final DA practice. Tariffs and authority charges follow current Chittagong Port Authority and related primary notices, confirm the notice in force for the call dates.
A disciplined close-out also protects the next call. When the same principal returns with another vessel, the previous Final DA becomes the practical reference for what was accepted, what was rejected, and which voucher types the accounts team will expect again. That institutional memory is worth more than a slightly lower proforma total that cannot be defended later.
Where protective agency is appointed on the owner side, the OPA review should receive the same voucher pack the port agent used, not a summary total alone. Parallel review only works when both files share the same underlying evidence.
Building a Voyage Estimate for Bangladesh?
Send the relevant charterparty or MOA, notices, SOF, invoices, claim correspondence, vessel schedule and P&I or insurer contact. CPA can preserve records and coordinate local attendance; legal advice, security and court action remain with appointed counsel and insurers.