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[Saif]

Ministry opts to hand over New Mooring Container Terminal to CPA

The authorities have decided in principle to let the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) take charge of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) for six months amid opposition from major political parties to appointing a foreign operator.

www.thedailystar.net

Ministry opts to hand over New Mooring Container Terminal to CPA

Currently, a private operator is running the New Mooring Container Terminal, the largest terminal at Chattogram port. Its contract will expire on July 6. Photo: RAJIB RAIHAN

The authorities have decided in principle to let the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) take charge of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) for six months amid opposition from major political parties to appointing a foreign operator.

Currently, a private operator is running the NCT, the largest terminal at Chattogram port. Its contract will expire on July 6.

With the deadline nearing, the Ministry of Shipping held a meeting last Wednesday where it decided in principle to hand over operations to the CPA, according to an official document.

Subsequently, the CPA has sought final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs through the shipping ministry.

In a letter, the CPA pointed to the contract's looming expiry, the lengthy process of selecting a new operator, and the need to keep external trade running smoothly. It urged swift approval in the national interest.

The NCT has been making headlines in recent months over who would run it.

The government said that bringing in a well-known foreign operator would increase the overall efficiency of the port.

But parties including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and left-leaning groups oppose the idea, arguing that giving control of a key terminal to a foreign firm would endanger national security and sovereignty.

Port workers have also been protesting, saying the move would make little economic sense as the terminal is "profitable and fully functional".

Built at a cost of Tk 2,000 crore, the 950-metre terminal was completed in 2007 by the CPA.

It has five jetties — four for ocean-going container ships and one for smaller vessels that connect to Pangaon port in Dhaka.

The Daily Star approached top CPA officials for comment, but to no avail.

CPA spokesperson and acting secretary Md Nasir Uddin did not answer repeated phone calls.​

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Civil Aviation Air Traffic Controllers Video

 

[Saif]

Talks underway for navy to operate new mooring terminal with port authority's support

The matter was discussed in a meeting at Chittagong Port in the presence of Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain.

en.prothomalo.com

Talks underway for navy to operate new mooring terminal with port authority's support

Special Correspondent Chattogram
Published: 28 Jun 2025, 22: 59

Photo shows containers at the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) in Chittagong Port. Sourv Das

The authorities concerned on Saturday discussed about operating the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) in Chittagong Port by the Bangladesh Navy temporarily with the assistance of the Chittagong Port Authority before handing over the facility to foreign operators.

The matter was discussed in a meeting at Chittagong Port in the presence of Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain.

A source close to the government told Prothom Alo that talks were held about the Navy operating NCT with port authority's support. A decision expected to be finalised within the next two to three days.

When asked, port secretary Md Omar Faruq told Prothom Alo that the port authority would formally inform the people concerned once a decision regarding NCT’s operation is finalised.

Local firms have been operating the terminal for 17 years. The current operator, Saif Powertec Limited, will see its contract expire on 6 July. The port authority had sought government approval to manage the terminal directly after the contract ends.

The shipping adviser visited the port this morning, accompanied by planning advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud. Later, they participated in a meeting with port officials at the port building, where the New Mooring Terminal issue was discussed. Lutfey Siddiqui, special envoy on international affairs to chief adviser, was also present at the meeting.

This decision is likely to come at a time when a road march is ongoing under the banner of the “Anti-Imperialist Patriotic People,” a platform formed by leftist parties and organisations. As part of a two-day programme, the march reached the Customs intersection near Gate No. 4 of the port, which was followed by a rally. The platform placed four demands, including no handover of the New Mooring Terminal and Chattogram Port management to foreign entities.

New Mooring Terminal, the largest container terminal in the country, has five jetties. Four ocean-going vessels and one inland waterway vessel can dock simultaneously. Various activities, including loading and unloading containers from ships, transferring, and storing containers, take place there.

A process started during the tenure of the Awami League government to hand over the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to Dubai-based DP World. The current interim government has advanced this process, and a formal agreement is expected to be signed in November.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of World Bank Group, is mediating as the transaction advisor for the terminal on behalf of the Bangladesh government. So, the Bangladesh Navy is expected to operate the terminal until the agreement is finalised.​

 

[Saif]

‘Conspiracy underway to destabilise Chittagong Port’

A conspiracy is underway to destabilise the Chittagong Port, leaders of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of staff and workers, alleged on Monday. They made this remark at a workers’ rally held at the gate of Chittagong Port around 11:00 am today. The rally was organised...

en.prothomalo.com

SKOP’s rally
‘Conspiracy underway to destabilise Chittagong Port’

Staff Correspondent Chattogram
Published: 30 Jun 2025, 17: 42

Chattogram division unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal president AM Nazim Uddin addresses the rally, organised by Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad, a platform of staff and workers of Chittagong Port, at the gate of Chittagong Port on 30 June 2025 Prothom Alo

A conspiracy is underway to destabilise the Chittagong Port, leaders of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of staff and workers, alleged on Monday.

They made this remark at a workers’ rally held at the gate of Chittagong Port around 11:00 am today. The rally was organised on demand of cancelling the lease of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT).

President of Chattogram division unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, a body of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), AM Nazim Uddin presided over the rally.

Speaking at the event, Trade Union Centre’s (TUC) Chattogram district unit president Tapan Dutta, also a member of the Labour Reform Commission, said conspirators hidden within Chittagong Port have begun plotting to create instability.

He observed that over the last 10 days, three different decisions have been made about the port. At times it has been said that the contract with Saif Powertec would be extended by three months. Then it was said that the Port Authority would operate the NCT themselves for the next six months. Later, it was stated that the Navy would be assigned to manage the port.

Labour leader Tapan Dutta added that in the past 10 days, the government and port authorities have taken inconsistent decisions regarding NCT, which indicates that certain port officials are more focused on creating instability than managing the port properly.

The rally, moderated by SKOP joint convener Zahed Uddin, was also addressed by Chittagong Port CBA’s former general secretary and Chattogram Division unit of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal general secretary Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, Bangladesh Labour Federation president SK Khoda Toton; Samajtantrik Sramik Front leader Mohin Uddin; and BLF organising secretary Rabiul Haque, among others.

During the meeting, the labour leaders strongly criticised the government’s decision to lease NCT to the Dubai-based multinational company DP World.

They said that Chittagong Port is the country’s main commercial gateway and the backbone of the economy.

The labour leaders pointed out that the NCT, built entirely with domestic funding, is equipped with modern technology and stands as the country’s most successful container terminal.

According to them, any attempt to hand it over to a foreign operator is against national interests and an act of extreme self-destruction.​

 

[Bilal9]

‘Conspiracy underway to destabilise Chittagong Port’

A conspiracy is underway to destabilise the Chittagong Port, leaders of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of staff and workers, alleged on Monday. They made this remark at a workers’ rally held at the gate of Chittagong Port around 11:00 am today. The rally was organised...

en.prothomalo.com

SKOP’s rally
‘Conspiracy underway to destabilise Chittagong Port’

Staff Correspondent Chattogram
Published: 30 Jun 2025, 17: 42

View attachment 19533

Chattogram division unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal president AM Nazim Uddin addresses the rally, organised by Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad, a platform of staff and workers of Chittagong Port, at the gate of Chittagong Port on 30 June 2025 Prothom Alo

A conspiracy is underway to destabilise the Chittagong Port, leaders of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of staff and workers, alleged on Monday.

They made this remark at a workers’ rally held at the gate of Chittagong Port around 11:00 am today. The rally was organised on demand of cancelling the lease of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT).

President of Chattogram division unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, a body of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), AM Nazim Uddin presided over the rally.

Speaking at the event, Trade Union Centre’s (TUC) Chattogram district unit president Tapan Dutta, also a member of the Labour Reform Commission, said conspirators hidden within Chittagong Port have begun plotting to create instability.

He observed that over the last 10 days, three different decisions have been made about the port. At times it has been said that the contract with Saif Powertec would be extended by three months. Then it was said that the Port Authority would operate the NCT themselves for the next six months. Later, it was stated that the Navy would be assigned to manage the port.

Labour leader Tapan Dutta added that in the past 10 days, the government and port authorities have taken inconsistent decisions regarding NCT, which indicates that certain port officials are more focused on creating instability than managing the port properly.

The rally, moderated by SKOP joint convener Zahed Uddin, was also addressed by Chittagong Port CBA’s former general secretary and Chattogram Division unit of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal general secretary Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, Bangladesh Labour Federation president SK Khoda Toton; Samajtantrik Sramik Front leader Mohin Uddin; and BLF organising secretary Rabiul Haque, among others.

During the meeting, the labour leaders strongly criticised the government’s decision to lease NCT to the Dubai-based multinational company DP World.

They said that Chittagong Port is the country’s main commercial gateway and the backbone of the economy.

The labour leaders pointed out that the NCT, built entirely with domestic funding, is equipped with modern technology and stands as the country’s most successful container terminal.

According to them, any attempt to hand it over to a foreign operator is against national interests and an act of extreme self-destruction.​

Their corrupt bribe money is now in questions, so "Eid ke baad andolon".

 

[Saif]

Their corrupt bribe money is now in questions, so "Eid ke baad andolon".

I am for giving the responsibility of Chittagong port operation to a well known foreign company so that our port operators become more efficient and become less corrupt.

 

[Saif]

Local management to operate for 6 months before foreign handover

The New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port will remain under local management for 6 months before being handed over to foreign operators. This policy decision was approved at a meeting of the Economic Affairs Advisory Council Committee on Tuesday. Briefing the media after the m

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

NEW MOORING CONTAINER TERMINAL (NCT)
Local management to operate for 6 months before foreign handover
Economic Affairs Committee decides temporary arrangement

FE REPORT
Published :
Jul 02, 2025 00:22
Updated :
Jul 02, 2025 00:22

The New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port will remain under local management for 6 months before being handed over to foreign operators.

This policy decision was approved at a meeting of the Economic Affairs Advisory Council Committee on Tuesday.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed confirmed the temporary local management arrangement, which precedes the planned foreign handover.

Retired Brigadier General Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser of the Ministries of Shipping, Labour and Employment, said that the final decision on the entity to be entrusted with managing Chattogram Port will be taken at a meeting of the Ministry of Shipping today.

According to ministry sources, the upcoming operator will be selected through a direct procurement method, bypassing any open tender process. The temporary arrangement will be valid for six months.

For the past 17 years, NCT has been operated by a local private entity, Saif Powertec Limited. The company's contract is set to expire on July 6.

Sources within the Ministry of Shipping indicated that from July 7, the Bangladesh Navy is expected to take over operations of the terminal, with logistical and administrative support from the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA).

NCT is the country's largest container terminal, comprising five jetties capable of accommodating four seagoing vessels and one inland vessel simultaneously. It handles a significant volume of the country's containerised cargo.

Earlier at a meeting on June 18, the Ministry of Shipping had decided that the CPA would operate the terminal directly and submitted a proposal seeking government approval for Tk 420 million. However, the port authorities later reversed this decision.

A follow-up meeting on Saturday between the Shipping Adviser and CPA officials, held at the port building's conference room, resulted in a revised policy decision to assign operational responsibility to the Navy, supported by the CPA.

The process of handing over NCT to foreign operators began under the previous Awami League-led government, with Dubai-based DP World identified as the intended operator. The current interim government is continuing with that process.

A formal agreement with DP World is expected to be signed by November. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is acting as the transaction adviser and intermediary on behalf of the Bangladesh government. Until the agreement is finalised, the Bangladesh Navy is likely to continue operating the terminal under the interim arrangement.​

 

[Saif]

undefined | The Financial Express

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Navy Chief visits New Mooring Container Terminal at Ctg port

BSS
Published :
Jul 09, 2025 20:42
Updated :
Jul 09, 2025 20:42

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan on Wednesday inspected the activities of the New Mooring Container Terminal at Chattogram Port.

With the active participation of naval personnel, country’s development activities continue in addition to ensuring national security. In continuation of this, the Chief of the Bangladesh Navy inspected the activities of the New Mooring Container Terminal at Chattogram Port, said an ISPR press release.

During the visit, he inspected the container handling activities at NCT-2 JT area, container handling activities at the appraise point and terminal operation system activities at CTMS building.

He also provided necessary directives to the officers and members of Chattogram Dry Dock Limited working at NCT and all those related to the port activities for the management of the port activities.

The commander of Chattogram naval region, chairman of Chattogram Port Authority and MD of Chittagong Dry Dock Limited and other senior military and civilian officials were present, it said.

It is mentionable that the Chattogram Port Authority handed over the responsibility of operating the NCT of the Chattogram Port to Chattogram Dry Dock Limited on Monday.

The Navy Chief hoped that the Chattogram Dry Dock Limited taking take over the responsibility of the NCT will further accelerate the activities of the port by increasing discipline, punctuality and efficiency in the port’s activities.

If the rapid movement and transportation of goods is ensured through proper port management, the country’s import-export process will be dynamic, which will play a direct role in the country’s economy, he said.

He also hoped that if the overall performance of the port increases through efficient management, it will increase the confidence of foreign investors and play an important role in the progress of the national economy.​

 

[Saif]

Container handling rises at New Mooring terminal after Navy takeover

Container handling at the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port increased in the first week of operational management by Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), Bangladesh's sole dry dock currently operating under the Bangladesh Navy..The CDDL started running the NCT at the c

www.thedailystar.net

Container handling rises at New Mooring terminal after Navy takeover

Star file photo

Container handling at the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port increased in the first week of operational management by Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), Bangladesh's sole dry dock currently operating under the Bangladesh Navy.

The CDDL started running the NCT at the country's largest port from July 7.

Until yesterday, the terminal recorded an average of 3,181 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled per day, compared to 2,956 TEUs daily during the previous seven days when the terminal was managed by Saif Powertec Ltd, according to a statement issued by the Chief Adviser's office.

This marks an increase of 8 percent, or 225 TEUs per day, reflecting a positive improvement in efficiency and performance, it states..

The NCT terminal had long been operated by Saif Powertec. Upon the expiration of its contract with Chittagong Port on July 6 this year, the shipping ministry approved the handover of operational responsibility to CDDL, effective from July 7.

"Since the transition, the terminal has shown improved coordination and operational discipline."

Between July 7 and July 13, container loading and unloading of 10 vessels was successfully completed, and currently, four vessels are being handled simultaneously at the four berths of the NCT.

Saif Powertec had been running Chattogram Port's two terminals – Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) and NCT – since their inception.

The NCT opened for operations in 2007. Saif Powertec initially operated two of the NCT's jetties on an ad hoc basis. In 2015, it was directly appointed by the CPA to operate four jetties.

The terminal remained underutilised for eight years following its construction due to a lack of necessary equipment. By 2022, the CPA had completed purchasing and installing the key equipment — quayside gantry cranes.

The NCT handled 38.5 percent of a total of 32.75 lakh TEUs of containers that passed through Chattogram Port in 2024, according to official data.​

 

[Saif]

Outbound container-handling charges set to surge 81pc

Container-depot owners have announced a steep hike in charges of outbound goods-laden box handling up to 81 per cent which exporters term a fresh blow amid troubling reciprocal- tariff tussle with the United States. Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) has also declared the cha

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

EXPORTERS FEAR FRESH BLOW TO INDUSTRY, TRADE
Outbound container-handling charges set to surge 81pc

Syful Islam
Published :
Jul 21, 2025 00:24
Updated :
Jul 21, 2025 00:24

Container-depot owners have announced a steep hike in charges of outbound goods-laden box handling up to 81 per cent which exporters term a fresh blow amid troubling reciprocal- tariff tussle with the United States.

Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) has also declared the charge hike in case of handling empty cargo boxes and some other services they provide.

A circular issued by the BICDA says the hiked charges will be effective from September-in what comes as a double bind with a 35-percent additional US tariff on Bangladeshi exports possibly taking effect on August 01.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the top user of the off-docks, says the move to raise charges will create a big pressure on the export-oriented industry.

The BICDA in its circular has said the investment cost of the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) has increased "so significantly" that capacity expansion of depots "has become very difficult".

"Similarly, the new ICDs are also struggling to attain financial viability and achieve full operational capability," says BICDA Secretary-General Ruhul Amin Sikder.

He says against the backdrop of significant operational and investment cost escalations, considerable increase in labour costs, increase in equipment import/purchase and maintenance costs, devaluation of the taka against the US dollar, sharp increase in overhead costs due to massive inflationary pressures, and increasing bank interest rates, BICDA has reviewed upward the empty-container-handling charges and export-cargo-handling charges.

According to the circular, from September 01, the ICDs will realise Tk 9,900 as handling charge for a 20-foot goods-laden export container, accounting for a 60-percent rise from the existing rate of Tk 6,187.

For a 40-foot container, the revised charge will be Tk 13,200 in a rise from the existing charge of Tk 8,250. The revised charge will go up by 81 per cent to Tk 14,900 from the present cost of Tk 8,250 in case of a 40-foot-high cube container and 45-foot container.

In case of empty boxes, the BICDA says, ground rate for a 20-foot container will increase from Tk 115 to Tk 150 while for 40-foot container it will go up from Tk 230 to Tk 300. Their lift-on/lift-off charges will be Tk 750 and Tk 700 respectively from the existing Tk 512.

The documentation charge will be increased to Tk 450 from existing Tk 276 for both 20-foot and 40-foot boxes.

The haulage charge will increase to Tk 2,500 from Tk 1,705 in case of 20-foot boxes while for 40-foot boxes the charge will rise to Tk 5,000 from existing Tk 3,410.

Also, BICDA is bent on raising CFS storage charges, labour charge, sorting charge, and reefer plug-in charge, among others.

Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice president, BGMEA, told the FE that depot owners were unexpectedly raising charges without discussing that with the main users of their facilities.

"They should have discussed with us whether we can absorb the higher charges or not."

Because, he says, if charges go up all of a sudden, it will create a big pressure on the export- oriented sector that is poised to face a tariff wall on the single-largest export market-the United States.

Mr Khan mentions that already there is another move to raise charges by the port authority.

"Our capability is getting reduced gradually," he says, adding that exporters are already under pressure over the proposed reciprocal tariff by the United States. "That is a matter of survival for us."

He laments it will be a "bad timing" for the industry as the depot association is raising charge when all are engaged with the United States in tariff negotiation.

Syed Mohammad Arif, Chairman, Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association (BSAA), echoes the industry concern.

He says in the past, the depots had handled containers carrying only 38 items which now increased to 65 items, nearly doubled, which means they will make good business.

"This is not an appropriate time for them to increase charges when their business is growing. They should reconsider it now," he opines.

Mr Arif explains that ultimately, the charge will fall on export-import business of the country. "When tariff goes up, the principal would not bear it, rather they will realise it from exporters and importers that means from product prices."

On a greater note of concern, he says, "If the different authorities raise charges at once, none will be able to do business in Bangladesh."

And goods prices will go beyond the reach of all.​