
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has voiced hope that the Chattogram port will eventually manage export-import operations from other counrties, with its capacity growing daily.
“Now, foreign port operators are investing in the Chattogram port. I see the possibility and harbour a dream that a time will come when the Chattogram port will handle the operations [export-import] of another country as well,” he said.
At a hotel in Dhaka, the State Minister was giving a speech to commemorate the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the AD Ports Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).
The Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation pertaining to the Bay Port Project, which includes the multipurpose port, was signed by AD Ports Group Chief Executive Officer (Ports Cluster), Saif Al Mazrouei, and CPA Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail.
The Abu Dhabi-based ports and logistics giant will invest US $ 1 billion to construct and equip the multi-purpose terminal under the project.
Khalid Mahmud said, “The Chattogram port has achieved the world standard capacity in the last 15 years, while the Mongla port is being upgraded and it’ll achieve the same capacity too. Besides, ships with 200 metres in length are anchored at the under-construction jetty at the Payra port.”
To expand the Chattogram port’s capacity, the government took the initiative to build the Bay Terminal. In November of last year, the master plan for the terminal was unveiled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
When the project is finished, the Bay Terminal will be able to handle ships up to 12 metres deep, and berthing for ships won’t be dependent on the tide, according to Chattogram port officials. Approximately 50 ships will be able to berth at the Bay Terminal on average, they added, even though 16 ships can anchor at the port simultaneously.