Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury has announced operators will be appointed by 31 December to run the Chittagong Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), Laldia Terminal, and Bay Terminal.
He made the statement yesterday, Sunday, after inaugurating a service desk for port users at Gate No. 4. Chittagong Port Chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman and other senior port officials were also present at the event.
The process of appointing foreign operators for these container terminals began last August, during the tenure of the ousted Awami League government.
Under this plan, the government has almost finalised the appointment of UAE-based DP World for the NCT, Netherlands-based APM Terminals for the Laldia Char terminal, DP World for one of the Bay Terminal projects, and Singapore’s PSA International for the other.
Among these four terminals, only the New Mooring Terminal is currently operational, fully equipped with the required facilities, and is presently managed by the Bangladesh Navy-owned Chittagong Dry Dock Limited.
The remaining three terminals will need to be constructed before operation and will require foreign investment.
At the event, Ashik Chowdhury said, “Our goal is to carry out some transformations in the ports and finalise some agreements by December. We want to take things to a stage where, once the wheel is set in motion, it will be impossible to stop. After the elections, when a political government comes to power, it will take time for them to settle in. We have planned things in a way that work will not stop during that period.”
Stressing the need to raise the Chittagong port’s position in global rankings, he stated, “We must bring in the best operators to improve our ranking. Several reforms are already underway. For example, we have launched a new software system that will fully automate processes. This will save operational time. Previously, people had to visit the port in person and submit paperwork for certain tasks. Now, with one click, the work can be done. This will also reduce the corruption and harassment that were once common complaints. In the future, we may even see artificial intelligence being used in the port.”
Before being handed over to foreign operators, the New Mooring Container Terminal is being run temporarily by Chittagong Dry Dock Limited.
Speaking about its current performance, Ashik Chowdhury said, “In the first month after the terminal was handed over to Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, container handling increased by about 30 per cent. This is a major achievement. Unloading time from ships has also decreased by about 13 per cent. Last fiscal year, 1.3 million containers were handled at this terminal. If the current pace continues, the figure could reach 1.7 million by the end of this year.”
He further noted, “Overall, our long-term plan is to increase the port’s capacity by four to five times by 2030. We often hear complaints from foreign investors and local exporters that it takes extra time to transport goods from Bangladesh to Europe. The same goods take three to four times less time from Vietnam. By 2030, we aim to reduce Bangladesh’s port clearance times to be even faster than Vietnam’s. We want to be better than them.”