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

[Saif]

China to upgrade Mongla port

The interim government on Sunday approved a project aiming at upgrading the container terminal at the Mongla port in Bagerhat with a loan of Tk 3,592.90 crore from China.

www.newagebd.net

China to upgrade Mongla port
Staff Correspondent 03 February, 2025, 00:41

Mongla port. | File photo

The interim government on Sunday approved a project aiming at upgrading the container terminal at the Mongla port in Bagerhat with a loan of Tk 3,592.90 crore from China.

The Bangladesh government will contribute the remaining Tk 475.33 crore to the overall project cost of Tk 4,068.23 crore approved by the executive committee of the National Economic Council at the Planning Commission at Agargaon in the capital Dhaka.

At a post-meeting briefing, planning adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said that the port would be developed as a hub, serving the regional countries like Bhutan and Nepal.

China has long been showing a keen interest in financing the project, he said.

Shipping ministry officials said that the same project had been submitted to the ECNEC in 2020 seeking approval, but the proposal was sent back then.

Under the project now to be concluded in 2028, the port authorities will construct a container terminal with equipment, delivery yard, multi-storied car sheds, removal of sinking wreckages and improvement of main roads.

Lack of infrastructures in the port has failed to attract ships, with about 40 per cent of its berthing facility remaining unutilised.

At present, the port authorities have been implementing several projects, including the upgrading of Mongla port project at Tk 6,015 crore since 2020 with Tk 4,459 crore from an Indian loan.

The planning adviser said that foreign loans were bad, but those became burden if not invested in viable projects.

Fearing that the overall debt payment would face more pressure in the coming days due to the implementation of the mega projects by the ousted Awami League regime, he suggested higher revenue mobilisation by the National Board of Revenue.

The day’s meeting, presided over by chief adviser Muhammd Yunus, approved 13 projects at Tk 12,532.28 crore. Of the cost, Tk 4,097.23 crore will come from the local sources and Tk 7,328.95 crore from the foreign sources.

Of the approved 13 projects, nine are new projects while four are revised projects.

The other projects include Uttar Kattali catchment sanitation in Chattogram metropolis (Tk 2,797.22 crore), improved seed production and development of rice, wheat and corn, 3rd phase (Tk 474.68 crore), modernisation and development (2nd phase) of seed production, processing and distribution management of BADC (Tk 292.86 crore), food safety testing capacity development (Tk 2,409.70 crore), digging some four evaluation-cum-development wells of Titas and Kamta fields (Tk 1,255 crore), conducting three-seismic survey at Habiganj, Bakhrabad and Meghna fields (Tk 454.25 crore) and digging Sylhet-12 number well (oil well) (Tk 255.25 crore).​

 

[Saif]

About Tk 150b project for preparing construction of Bay terminal in Chattogram

The World Bank will finance Tk 102.72 billion and the government provide Tk 46.37 billion from the state exchequer.

en.prothomalo.com

About Tk 150b project for preparing construction of Bay terminal in Chattogram
Special Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 19 Apr 2025, 22: 53

Workers are seen handling a container at Chattogram sea port in 7 February 2022 Prothom Alo file photo

A support project with a budget of about Tk 150 billion will be undertaken for the preparations of the construction of Bay terminal in Chattogram.

The project tilted Bay Terminal Marin Infrastructure Development Project will be placed at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Sunday for approval.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus will preside over the meeting at the NEC conference room of the Planning Commission in the capital.

According to the Planning Commission, the Chittagong Port Authority will implement the project in Anandabazar area of the port city’s South Halisahar from April 2025 to June 2031.

Breakwater and navigation channel facilities, as well as all necessary infrastructures and facilities will be constructed under the proposed project.

The World Bank will finance Tk 102.72 billion and the government will provide Tk 46.37 billion from the state exchequer.

Three Bay terminals will be built to facilitate the Chittagong port operation. Two of the terminals will be built under public private partnership (PPP) while the Chittagong Port Authority will construct the remaining one.

The government formulated the Strategic Master Plan for Chittagong Port in 2015, which includes the construction of Bay terminals. A feasibility study was carried out later. However, separate project was also undertaken to build the required infrastructures for the constructions of Bay terminals.​

 

[Saif]

Matarbari all set to sign deal for two jetties

The long-awaited journey towards Bangladesh’s first deep-sea port at Matarbari in Cox’s Bazar is finally approaching a major milestone.

www.thedailystar.net

Matarbari all set to sign deal for two jetties

The long-awaited journey towards Bangladesh's first deep-sea port at Matarbari in Cox's Bazar is finally approaching a major milestone.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is set to sign a contract on April 22 for the construction of two jetties—marking the beginning of the first phase of the Matarbari Port Development Project.

The agreement will be signed with a Japanese joint venture comprising Penta-Ocean Construction Co. Ltd. and TOA Corporation, at a ceremony scheduled to be held at a hotel in Dhaka, confirmed CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk.

The contract, titled "Matarbari Port Development Project Phase-1 Package 1: Procurement of Civil Works for Port Construction," is valued at approximately Tk 6,200 crore and the deadline for completing phase-1 has been set for 2029.

Funded mostly by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the total cost of the port project is estimated at Tk 24,300 crore.

Phase-1 includes the construction of two jetties: a 460-metre-long container jetty and a 300-metre-long multi-purpose jetty.

It also covers yard reclamation, soil improvement, terminal facilities, and the construction of administrative and operational buildings, according to Commodore Kaosar Rashid, CPA member for harbour and marine and the project director.

Once operational, Matarbari Port will become the country's first deep-sea port, capable of handling container vessels with capacities of up to 8,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

In contrast, the Chattogram port currently accommodates vessels of up to 2,500 TEUs.

The vision for a deep-sea port at Matarbari emerged in 2018 when the government launched a coal-based power plant project in the area.

The need for a wider and deeper channel to transport fuel sparked the idea for a full-fledged seaport.

The state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh (CPGCBL), which implemented the 1,200-megawatt power plant project, also constructed an artificial channel measuring 14.5 kilometres in length, 250 metres in width, and 18 metres in depth.

Recognising the strategic value of this deep-draft channel, the government decided to establish a commercial port on the same site.

JICA, which had also funded the power plant, endorsed the idea after its feasibility study revealed the seabed was deeper than previously expected.

To further facilitate the port's development, the channel was widened by 100 metres and deepened by an additional two metres.

The CPGCBL also constructed essential maritime infrastructure, including a 1,753-metre breakwater on the north side, a 713-metre breakwater on the south side, and a 1,802.85-metre revetment—all using stone blocks.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) originally approved the Matarbari Deep Seaport Development Project in 2020 with an estimated cost of Tk 17,777 crore and a Phase-1 completion target of 2026.

However, in October 2024, ECNEC revised the project, raising the budget to Tk 24,381 crore and pushing the deadline to 2029.

According to port officials, the 37 percent rise in project costs resulted from factors such as the depreciation of the taka, increased land acquisition expenses, and design modifications.​

 

[Bilal9]

Once operational, Matarbari Port will become the country's first deep-sea port, capable of handling container vessels with capacities of up to 8,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

In contrast, the Chattogram port currently accommodates vessels of up to 2,500 TEUs.

The ships with capacity of 8,000 TEUs are called Post-Panamax class container ships.

Here is the draft relationship per TEU capacity. Since Matarbari has 18 metre draft, it can easily accommodate much larger 14000 TEU container ships (New Panamax Class).

14000 TEU ships are also called ULCC (Ultra Large Container Carrier). Here is one from Yang Ming Lines,

​

If they can change the design of the ships (shallow draft design by Maersk and other shipping companies) - even Chittagong can definitely accommodate higher TEU container ships.

The Bay Terminal at Chittagong (when finished) can accommodate these 3000 or so TEU ships and so can Mongla. 3000 TEU ships are at the higher size end of the Singapore to Chittagong feeder class ship, most ships nowadays calling at Chittagong port are close to 1500~2000 TEU size.

So much for the BJP dream of "shutting down Bangladesh exports".

 

[Saif]

TK 135.25b Bay Terminal development project in Chattogram approved

The interim government has approved an infrastructure development project worth over Tk 135.25 billion for the Bay Terminal in Chattogram, reviving a long-stalled initiative in a region considered strategically vital both geographically and economically. The Executive Committee of the National Eco

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

TK 135.25b Bay Terminal development project in Chattogram approved
Published :
Apr 20, 2025 22:53
Updated :
Apr 20, 2025 22:53

The interim government has approved an infrastructure development project worth over Tk 135.25 billion for the Bay Terminal in Chattogram, reviving a long-stalled initiative in a region considered strategically vital both geographically and economically.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) gave the nod on Sunday at a meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the NEC Conference Room in the Planning Commission complex.

The Bay Terminal Marine Infrastructure Development Project, stuck in bureaucratic limbo for nearly a decade, had seen no visible progress for four and a half months following the fall of the previous administration—even after securing the land needed for construction.

Of the total cost, the World Bank will provide Tk 93.33 billion, while the government will bear the remaining Tk 41.92 billion, reports bdnews24.com.

“This project has been under discussion for years without progress. Today we are finally moving forward with it. The project is the Bay Terminal in Chattogram,” Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said after the meeting.

He said while Chattogram is commonly referred to as a seaport, it technically functions as a river port.

“Bangladesh has no real seaport,” he remarked.

“Considering the way our economy is growing, and the scale we expect it to reach over the next 15 to 20 years, this part of the Bay of Bengal is not only important for Bangladesh but also holds regional significance. A maritime port facility here is essential,” he added.

Although the current project has not been categorised as a “mega project”, Wahiduddin said it would eventually be part of a larger initiative involving four terminals—two of which will be developed under public-private partnerships (PPP).

“In total, this will become a mega project,” he said.

“For now, we’re approving a major component of it, but the complete package will be much bigger.”

The adviser said instructions had been issued to begin work without further delay.

Initial work will focus on building a breakwater to shield the port from high waves and storms, along with developing essential support infrastructure.

The breakwater construction and dredging activities will be financed with support from the World Bank.

Wahiduddin hopes that even if the two associated projects take 10 to 15 years to complete, they will be fully operational and capable of meeting the country’s growing trade needs.

“We cannot afford further delay. The Karnaphuli river port was never sufficient, and this has been evident for over 20 years. Large ships cannot even dock there,” he said.

The Bay Terminal Project was first proposed 10 years ago to support the country's future trade expansion and establish an international standard seaport.

Though feasibility studies were conducted three years later, the masterplan was only finalised in November 2023.

Spanning over 6.25 km from behind the Chattogram EPZ near Patenga Sea Beach to Rani Rashmoni Ghat, the terminal has already received most of its required land.

Despite approval of a World Bank loan for the breakwater, no visible progress had been made until now.

Chattogram port has previously faced vessel congestion and long waiting times.

Existing terminals could not accommodate ships with a draft exceeding 10 metres, the depth of the ship's submerged part.

To address these issues and facilitate docking of larger vessels, known as mother vessels, the port authority initiated the Bay Terminal project in 2014, focusing on the Patenga Beach area.

In 2017, a foreign company conducted technical, economic, and environmental studies for the project and developed a master plan, which was finalised and unveiled in November last year.

The plan includes constructing two container terminals measuring 1,225 metres each and a multipurpose terminal 1,500 metres long, for a total of three terminals.

It also proposes 11 jetties across 4.95 kilometres of terminal length, capable of accommodating vessels with 12-metre drafts and 300-metre lengths.

Under the PPP model, agreements have already been signed with two foreign firms for the construction of two terminals.

Although the project is envisioned to span over 352 hectares, the port authority has so far received nearly 230 hectares. These were allocated in May, 2024.

In June, the World Bank approved a $650 million loan for constructing the breakwater and dredging to protect the Bay Terminal from tidal currents.

Sunday’s ECNEC meeting approved 14 projects in total, with a combined estimated cost of Tk 242.47 billion.​