[🇧🇩] Sea Ports/Air Ports/River Ports/Bridges/Mega Projects

[Saif]

UAE’s AD Ports Group to invest $1 billion to develop Ctg port

The Chittagong Port Authority signs MoU with the Abu Dhabi-based company

www.thedailystar.net

UAE's AD Ports Group to invest $1 billion to develop Ctg port
The Chittagong Port Authority signs MoU with the Abu Dhabi-based company

AD Ports Group of the UAE today signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) for the development of the seaport, including construction of a multi-purpose terminal under the mega Bay Terminal project.

The Abu Dhabi-based enabler of global trade, logistics and industry earlier proposed to invest $1 billion to construct and equip the multi-purpose terminal while the CPA said they have recently accepted the proposal.

Once constructed the multi-purpose terminal will be equipped to handle one million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers and seven million tonnes of bulk cargo annually, the port officials hoped.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury attended the signing ceremony as the chief guest held at the Westin Dhaka Hotel, according to a press release issued by the CPA.

AD Ports Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Saif Al Mazurouei and CPA Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail signed the MoU, it read.

Md Mostafa Kamal, senior shipping secretary; Abdulla Ali Abdulla Khaseif Al Hmoudi, UAE ambassador in Bangladesh, and Tarafder Ruhul Amin, managing director of AD Port's local partner Saif Powertec Ltd, also attended the event.

Saif Powertec has been engaged in container shipping in partnership with AD Port's Safeen Feeders since 2022.

Through the signing of the MoU, AD Ports Group in partnership with the CPA would be engaged in the development of the multi-purpose terminal of Bay Terminal along with other projects in the port, Ruhul Amin said.

CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk also spoke.​

 

[Saif]

Chinese firm asks for additional Tk 10b on river training

Bridges Division said river training work of the Padma Bridge project has already set a record as no firm was ever appointed in the past with this hefty amount for river training under a single contract.

en.prothomalo.com

Chinese firm asks for additional Tk 10b on river training
Anowar HossainDhaka
Published: 18 May 2024, 12: 38

A night view of the Padma Bridge from Mawa end in Munshiganj on 24 June 2022Dipu Malakar

Chinese contractor firm Sinohydro Corporation, which is carrying out the river training part of the Padma Bridge, sent a letter to the Bridges Division asking for an additional 10 billion taka outside the purview of their contract while the Bridges Division wants to settle the bargain with 6 billion taka.

A raise in a project budget showing extra work outside the contract is called variation. An official of the Bridges Division told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity that variation means the contractor has done more than the work stipulated in the agreement and there are opportunities to take advantage of it because contractors withdraw extra money many times in collusion with other stakeholders without even doing the actual work.

The Bridges Division appointed the Chinese firm for river training on both sides of the Padma River in 2014 at 87.08 billion taka, but the budget increased by 8.78 billion taka to 95.86 billion taka in September 2023 because of additional work, a rise in dollar prices and changes to the government's VAT-tax structure.

Bridges Division said river training work of the Padma Bridge project has already set a record as no firm was ever appointed in the past for such a hefty amount for river training under a single contract. With an additional 6 billion taka, the revised budget will rise to 101.86 billion taka.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina opened Padma Bridge for traffic on 25 June 2022. Toll collection crossed 15 billion taka. A part of river training remained left when the bridge opened. However, the timeline of the entire Padma Bridge project including the river is going to end next June.

In the meantime, the Bridges Division started reaching out to the Planning Commission and other government agencies to settle the contractor's bargain. Bridges Division secretary Md Manzur Hossain held a meeting with the officials of the Planning Commission and other agencies concerned on 28 April.

Padma Bridge project director Md Shafiqul Islam told Prothom Alo the additional expenditure on river training, however, will not increase the entire project expenditure because there are funds for variation in the project budget, which rose to 326.05 billion taka after a revision in April last year.

Sources at Bridges Division said an additional 10 billion taka was allocated during the last amendment to the project budget considering the price hike and more possible work despite the project is nearly finished. Now, the contractor's demand would be met with that money, but it needs the approval of the government.

River training has been done on 12.92 km on both sides of Padma River – 1.84 km at Mawa end and 11.8 km at Zazira end.

According to Bridges Division sources, when the project proposal was amended last year, it was found that the cost was reduced on the main work of river training but increased on the work done outside the agreement. This time, the Chinese firm did not do the work, for which additional funds are being sought. They appointed subcontractors without competitive tender.

Sources said Mazid Sons Construction Limited was one of the leading subcontractors and they were at central of the 'pillow scandal' at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and the roof collapse of a dormitory at Rajshshi University.

Reasons behind past cost rises

Sources at Bridges Division said the project cost rose by over 5 billion taka in September 2023 due to the depreciation of the taka and the rise in tax rate. Other than this, the timeline of river training work was four years, but it took an additional four and a half years, and costs also increased due to price hikes and consultants' salaries and allowances.

Besides, setting tolls plazas, procuring vessals for surveys, installing optical fibres and various procurements are done under river training. Foreign workers could not come amid the pandemic, and that loss has also been counted as a cost. Contractors also show additional expenditures for floods and river currents at various times.

Chinese Sinohydro Corporation, however, receives 70 per cent of payment set in US dollars and 30 per cent in taka as per the contract.

Total project expenditure

The Padma Bridge was first approved in August 2007 at an estimated cost of 101.62 billion taka and the project deadline was 2015. By June 2011, project cost rose to 205.07 billion taka.

The government revised the project cost to 297.93 billion taka in February 2015, setting 2018 as the deadline. Cost rose by 14 billion taka for additional land procumbent purposes in June 2018 and the total project cost was set at 300.93 billion taka following a special approval. Lastly, the cost was fixed at 326.05 billion taka in 2023.

Regarding the additional cost of river training, Shamsul Haque, a mega project expert and civil engineering professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told Prothom Alo that it is a complex task to carry out river training in a river like the Padma, but a 17 per cent variation is too much.​

He said there has been a trend recently to show big variations in the mega projects, and the cost was increased by adding unnecessary tasks in many cases; these tasks were completed through subcontractors with political influence. As a result, project cost rises and work quality falls, but the government's Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has the opportunity to work with more responsibility to this end, he added.

 

[Saif]

JS body for enhancing road, rail connectivity with Payra Sea Port

The parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry on Sunday recommended taking appropriate measures to increase road and rail connectivity with the Payra sea port to carry forward activities of the port, located in the southern part of the country. It also recommended taking the enti

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

JS body for enhancing road, rail connectivity with Payra Sea Port
BSS
Published :
May 19, 2024 20:21
Updated :
May 19, 2024 20:21

The parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry on Sunday recommended taking appropriate measures to increase road and rail connectivity with the Payra sea port to carry forward activities of the port, located in the southern part of the country.

It also recommended taking the entire responsibility of running the Kamalapur ICD (Inland Container Depot) terminal under shipping ministry describing it as the integral part of the port. It observed that all ports will be the stockholders of ICD.

The third meeting of the JS body was held here with chairman of the committee Mahfuzur Rahman in the chair, according to a statement issued in Sunday.

Committee members State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Golam Kibria Tipu, Md. Zakaria, Firoz Ahmed Swapan, Habibun Nahar, Md. Awlad Hossain and Jharna Hasan attended the meeting.

The meeting also had a discussion on the overall activities of Bangladesh Shipping Directorate, Chittagong Seaport and Payra Seaport Authority.

Earlier, the meeting thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other relevant people following safe return of all sailors, including the captain of Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah, which was abducted by Somali pirates a few months back.

Senior Secretary of the ministry, Chairmen of Chittagong and Payra Sea Ports, among others, joined the meeting.​

 

[Bilal9]

97pc work of HSIA third terminal complete: minister
Photo: Collected

Around 97 percent construction work of the third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has been completed, Civil Aviation Minister Faruk Khan said yesterday.
"I am satisfied with the progress ... It [the terminal] is likely to be fully operational by the end of this year or early next year," said the minister at a press briefing after visiting the terminal.
Only three percent of work, which includes calibration and testing of various systems is yet to be completed, he said.

"The work of the building has been done very well. It's beautiful. But its success depends on proper maintenance. I conveyed these to the Japanese construction company. I am very hopeful that CAAB is preparing its staff to operate the terminal in a proper manner," the minister said.

Asked about the construction of a second runway at the Dhaka airport as per the requirements of the third terminal, Faruk said, "The Instrument Landing System is being improved on the existing runway. Radars are being improved. However, we have plans for a second runway."

However, due to buildings nearby, it poses a challenge, he added.

Regarding the poor luggage handling service, he said, "Passenger handling is a big challenge for any country. Passengers think that the luggage will be handed over to them as soon as they get off the plane. It's never possible. We are trying to improve."

About the ground handling, Faruk said Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which has been enjoying a monopoly so far, will manage the ground operation under a joint venture with a reputed global service provider chosen by the Japanese consortium.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the soft launch of the third terminal on October 7 last year.

The project, involving Tk 21,300 crore, commenced on December 28, 2019.

 

[Bilal9]

View attachment 6186

97pc work of HSIA third terminal complete: minister
Photo: Collected

Around 97 percent construction work of the third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has been completed, Civil Aviation Minister Faruk Khan said yesterday.
"I am satisfied with the progress ... It [the terminal] is likely to be fully operational by the end of this year or early next year," said the minister at a press briefing after visiting the terminal.
Only three percent of work, which includes calibration and testing of various systems is yet to be completed, he said.

"The work of the building has been done very well. It's beautiful. But its success depends on proper maintenance. I conveyed these to the Japanese construction company. I am very hopeful that CAAB is preparing its staff to operate the terminal in a proper manner," the minister said.

Asked about the construction of a second runway at the Dhaka airport as per the requirements of the third terminal, Faruk said, "The Instrument Landing System is being improved on the existing runway. Radars are being improved. However, we have plans for a second runway."

However, due to buildings nearby, it poses a challenge, he added.

Regarding the poor luggage handling service, he said, "Passenger handling is a big challenge for any country. Passengers think that the luggage will be handed over to them as soon as they get off the plane. It's never possible. We are trying to improve."

About the ground handling, Faruk said Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which has been enjoying a monopoly so far, will manage the ground operation under a joint venture with a reputed global service provider chosen by the Japanese consortium.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the soft launch of the third terminal on October 7 last year.

The project, involving Tk 21,300 crore, commenced on December 28, 2019.

NOT HAPPY about the fact that Biman is still involved in ground handling. Should've been given to the Japanese outright. Biman is an airline and should not be involved in ground handling at all. This was a less-than-wise political move by CAAB and the Minister to curry favor with Biman staff and mgmt.

 

[Saif]

Matarbari port to be ‘green, eco-friendly’

CHATTOGRAM: Matarbari deep-sea port in Cox's Bazar will be a green, natural port of the country with ample trees and a friendly ecosystem. Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said Matarbari port would help the country handle a growing volume of export-import trade...

www.thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Matarbari port to be 'green, eco-friendly'
NAZIMUDDIN SHYAMOL | Published: February 26, 2023 08:45:07

CHATTOGRAM: Matarbari deep-sea port in Cox's Bazar will be a green, natural port of the country with ample trees and a friendly ecosystem. Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said Matarbari port would help the country handle a growing volume of export-import trade and ease pressure on Chittagong port. The government is also constructing coal-based power plant, LNG terminal and development of highways there.

"We'll plant trees on blank land of the port. Most of the port area will be green and eco-friendly. It'll also be a natural port with a green ecosystem."

"The ultra-critical maintenance system of the coal project will also be eco-friendly and 43 per cent of heat produced there will be converted to power," Mr Shahjahan told the FE.

An ecological balance will be ensured at the port and its contiguous areas, he added.

This port will become the region's most important export-import hub in future.

It will play a catalytic role and gain the reputation of the region's most important feeder port for mother vessels from the ports of neighbouring countries.

Mr Shahjahan said once the country's first deep-sea port would contribute 2.0 to 3.0 per cent to the growth of the national economy.

"The main objective of the project is to enhance the cargo-handling capacity of Bangladesh through constructing the deep-sea port and thus facilitate speedy port services with the neighbouring countries."

The existing yearly container-handling capacity of Chittagong port is 3.2-million TEUS of container. The growing demand will exceed the existing handling capacity within the next few years.

"We have to increase the handling capacity by 4.0 more million TEUS by 2033. Mongla and Payra ports won't be able to meet the growing demand," added Mr Shahjahan.

The maritime connectivity of Bangladesh would increase remarkably as Matarbari port will enhance the total capacity of Chittagong port in handling cargoes and containers several times.

It may be mentioned that the Deep-sea Port Development Project is being implemented with the financing of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Airport 3rd Terminal design features, rest area facilities.

 

[Saif]

Dhaka Airport 3rd Terminal design features, rest area facilities.

Is there any plan to upgrade 1st and 2nd terminals?

 

[Bilal9]

Is there any plan to upgrade 1st and 2nd terminals?

Good question. After spending thousands of crores on the third terminal, they will be (I believe) reluctant to spend money on anything else in that place, including 1st and 2nd terminals. The latter old terminals may get regional (or even domestic flight) usage, which is logical. Some superficial interior refurbishment may be performed but no major rebuilds.

But the prime international airline routes will all now be at the 3rd terminal, most major global airlines and retailers are chomping at the bit to grab prime real estate there, including upper class flight lounges and of course, high traffic retail outlets like refreshment and food outlets and sit-down restaurants etc.

As yet, part of the existing fallow land in the airport has already been turned into malls and luxury hotel space, near the airport road. The mall was just opened I believe as I saw in a video - they showed a food court which was quite sophisticated and looked like Dubai's main food court in the terminal. This is the inevitable gradual conversion into commercial activity for most of the unused portion of the airport. There is also massive cargo activity and a huge cargo terminal is also being built where the old cargo processing area was, near the CAAB HQ. The New CAAB HQ was built and moved to the opposite side of the airport, where the new modern Haji Camp was also built.

The govt. wanted to build a brand new world class airport like Suvarnabhumi in the outskirts of Dhaka and that seems to be more and more possible, where they will not have the space constraints this airport has and where all the money and investments will now be directed, with at least four runways and room to expand. Feasibility studies may already be under way. If the current airport at Kurmitola is like Tokyo's Haneda, they are trying to build something like Kansai or Narita, or better yet, Suvarnabhumi at a nice spot outside of Dhaka.

 

[Saif]

The govt. wanted to build a brand new world class airport like Suvarnabhumi in the outskirts of Dhaka and that seems to be more and more possible, where they will not have the space constraints this airport has and where all the money and investments will now be directed, with at least four runways and room to expand. Feasibility studies may already be under way. If the current airport at Kurmitola is like Tokyo's Haneda, they are trying to build something like Kansai or Narita, or better yet, Suvarnabhumi at a nice spot outside of Dhaka.

The new airport project has been pushed to the back burner because of unavailability of suitable location to build the airport. Hope they find a suitable place to build the modern airport that we need very badly.

 

[Bilal9]

The new airport project has been pushed to the back burner because of unavailability of suitable location to build the airport. Hope they find a suitable place to build the modern airport that we need very badly.

That is correct - the site is yet to be determined and the few they chose before (around char areas) were opposed by violent protests as I remember. But in my opinion, North of Dhaka will be a far better choice - anywhere near the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway corridor, but close enough to Dhaka. That area is more stable geologically (older land form as opposed to Southern silt deposit areas) and probably has better road connectivity to North Bengal and Sylhet, where most of the passengers originate from.

 

[Saif]

Patenga Container Terminal of Ctg Port begins operation

The much-anticipated Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) of Chattogram Port commenced operations on Monday, marking a significant milestone for the port and the country. A container vessel, the Singapore-flagged ‘MAERSK DAVAO,’ anchored at the terminal this morning, initiating regular han

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Patenga Container Terminal of Ctg Port begins operation
UNB
Published :
Jun 10, 2024 16:51
Updated :
Jun 10, 2024 22:32

The much-anticipated Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) of Chattogram Port commenced operations on Monday, marking a significant milestone for the port and the country.

A container vessel, the Singapore-flagged 'MAERSK DAVAO,' anchored at the terminal this morning, initiating regular handling activities. Authorities anticipate the terminal will handle approximately 500,000 Twenty-ft Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually.

PCT is the first terminal in Chattogram Port's history to be operated by a foreign company, heralding a new era of foreign investment and operational models. This transformation has positioned Chattogram as a landlord port, a significant upgrade for Bangladesh's maritime infrastructure.

Six months ago, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) signed an agreement with the Jeddah-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) of Saudi Arabia. Following customs formalities and equipment installations, Red Sea Gateway Bangladesh Limited has now officially commenced operations.

Omar Faruk, Secretary of CPA, confirmed that RSGT is fully prepared to manage container handling at the newly built terminal. According to the CPA, the new terminal will not only enhance the port's capacity but also reduce the average stay time for vessels.

Constructed at a cost of Tk 1.50 billion, funded by the port, the PCT features state-of-the-art facilities, including gantry cranes that significantly increase loading and unloading efficiency. Rear Admiral Md Sohail, Chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority, noted that it would take approximately 18 months for the terminal to become fully operational.

The PCT was built on 32 acres of land near Chattogram Drydock Limited to Boat Club, with the foundation stone laid on September 8, 2017. The project, supervised by the 34 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Army, commenced construction in 2018, involving a total cost of Tk 12.30 billion.

With the new terminal, vessels will no longer need to wait at the outer anchorage for extended periods, as the Patenga Container Terminal can accommodate four vessels at once across its jetties. This increased capacity is expected to alleviate congestion and streamline operations at Chattogram Port.​