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

[Bilal9]

Ending all speculation, the construction of the Matarbari deep container seaport is now starting. The construction of a terminal consisting of two jetties (one for containers and the other for bulk cargo such as crude oil and cereals) at a cost of 6,200 crore taka will begin immediately after signing of the agreement with the JICA-designated Japanese contractor consortium in Dhaka on April 22 last. Construction is slated to end around 2029, when container handling will formally commence.

 

[Saif]

Matarbari Port to open new horizon for global trade: Adviser Sakhawat

The Matarbari Deep Sea Port will open up a new horizon for international trade and serve as a strategic investment for Bangladesh’s future, said Adviser to the Ministries of Shipping and Labour and Employment Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Tuesday. “This is not merely an infrast

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Matarbari Port to open new horizon for global trade: Adviser Sakhawat
FE Online Desk
Published :
Apr 22, 2025 21:34
Updated :
Apr 22, 2025 22:04

The Matarbari Deep Sea Port will open up a new horizon for international trade and serve as a strategic investment for Bangladesh’s future, said Adviser to the Ministries of Shipping and Labour and Employment Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Tuesday.

“This is not merely an infrastructure project—it is a cornerstone for the country’s long-term economic ambitions,” he said while addressing a contract signing ceremony in the capital for the development of the Matarbari Port under the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), funded by JICA and CPA.

Once operational, the Matarbari Port will significantly boost the country’s cargo handling capacity by accommodating large vessels of up to 100,000 DWT, ease congestion at existing ports, enhance supply chain efficiency, and ensure direct access to the emerging industrial zones in Cox’s Bazar and Maheshkhali, he said.

Sakhawat also noted that the port is expected to help transform Bangladesh into a key energy and trans-shipment hub in the region, reports UNB.

Under Package 1 of the project, construction includes a 300-metre-long multi-purpose berth (for vessels up to 200m), a 460-metre container berth (for ships up to 350m), along with terminal buildings, pavements, retaining walls, sea walls, boundary walls, land development, dredging, land reclamation, emergency generators, solar power facilities, terminal utilities, and other ancillary civil and electrical works.

The terminal yard will feature around 5,100 ground slots for storing containers. With a 14.5-metre draft and the ability to berth container vessels of 300 metres in length and up to 8,200 TEUs, the port is projected to handle between 0.6 and 1.1 million TEUs annually by 2029, rising to an estimated 2.2 to 2.6 million TEUs by 2041.

Highlighting Japan’s support in the project, the adviser said, “The cooperation from the Government of Japan and JICA has been instrumental in turning the Matarbari vision into reality. Their technical expertise, financing, and capacity development contributions are deeply appreciated.”

The agreement was signed between Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, chairman of Chattogram Port Authority, and Tomokazu Hasegawa, General Manager of Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd.​

 

[Bilal9]

Under Package 1 of the project, construction includes a 300-metre-long multi-purpose berth (for vessels up to 200m), a 460-metre container berth (for ships up to 350m), along with terminal buildings, pavements, retaining walls, sea walls, boundary walls, land development, dredging, land reclamation, emergency generators, solar power facilities, terminal utilities, and other ancillary civil and electrical works.

The 350-meter long container ship class refers to the A-class container ships, which are among the largest container ships in the world. These ships have a capacity of 8000 TEU. Here are some examples.

This ships are five times the size of container ships what CTG now handles.

However 8000 TEU is the very upper limit for the container handling berth at Matarbari. Which means it will commonly handle panamax and post-panamax size container ships (roughly 5000-6000 TEU ships) which will ply directly from Korean, Japanese and Chinese ports to Matarbari and also to EU ports from that port.

No transshipment (which commonly occurs now in S'pore and Colombo for import and export container traffic for Bangladesh) will be needed any longer.

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh gets $850 million in World Bank loans for Bay Terminal, social protection

Under the deal, the WB will provide $650 million to Bangladesh for the Bay Terminal Marine Infrastructure Development Project

www.thedailystar.net

Bangladesh gets $850 million in World Bank loans for Bay Terminal, social protection

Photo: Collected

Bangladesh has secured $850 million in financing from the World Bank to support the development of a major marine terminal in Chattogram and to expand the country's social protection programmes, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) said in a statement.

Two separate financing agreements were signed today (April 23) in Washington between the ERD and the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessional arm.

Under the deal, the WB will provide $650 million to Bangladesh for the Bay Terminal Marine Infrastructure Development Project at Chattogram, the port city.

Another $200 million will go toward implementing a wide-ranging social protection project, according to a statement from the ERD.

Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the ERD, and Gayle H Martin, interim country director of the World Bank for Bangladesh, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective institutions.

The Bay Terminal project, overseen by the Chittagong Port Authority, is expected to significantly improve port efficiency by reducing vessel turnaround time and increasing capacity.

It includes the construction of breakwaters, capital dredging of the entrance channel and basin, and the installation of navigation systems.

The World Bank estimates the project could reduce daily economic losses by $1 million. Implementation is scheduled from April 2025 to June 2031.

The social protection project, to be implemented by the Department of Social Services and the Finance Division, will run from July 2025 to June 2030.

It aims to expand the national social safety net by developing a Dynamic Social Registry, strengthening cash transfer programs, and supporting livelihood opportunities for low-income populations.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/opinions/threat-to-padma-bridge-posed-by-river-erosion

Threat to Padma Bridge posed by river erosion
Neil Ray
Published :
Apr 27, 2025 23:17
Updated :
Apr 27, 2025 23:17

The embankment built to protect the Padma Bridge project area is under severe threat, according to a report carried in a contemporary. A two-kilometre segment of the embankment at Jajira point of Shariatpur has started experiencing river erosion. The river has become deeper closer to the Padma Bridge and at the same time the erosion is approaching the bridge. Given the treacherous nature of the river Padma, a hydro-meteorological disaster cannot be ruled out if measures are not taken immediately to protect the river-line embankment at that point. The problem of this river is particularly treacherous because of the fast shifting soil of its bed. This is exactly happening to one-kilometre segment of the embankment and the rest one kilometre length is actually experiencing erosion.

This is not the first time that alarm bell has been sounded. Months before another report came up with the danger posed to the embankment and the bridge. But the authorities failed to respond to the call the way it should have done. Following the landslide of 100 metre of the embankment at Naodoba zero point in November last year, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) jointly carried out a study. The study found that the depth of the river along one-kilometre stretch is greater than in the surrounding areas. What was of particular concern is that the soil of the river bed continued to move away from that segment. The river moved closer to the other segment of one-kilometre length. Erosion happened there too.

The BWDB has undertaken repair works of the 100-metre embankment that gave in last year in November. The repair consists of putting in place sand-laden geo-textile (geo) bags and cement concrete (CC) blocks at a cost of Tk27 million. Isn't it too little too late? Tortuous and treacherous, the Padma cannot be restrained by such patch works. Even in the lean season, it can break through the defence of strong embankment. The least said about its power in the monsoon the better.

An extensive and comprehensive study was well in order to see if there was any error or defect when the river training was done. The bridge authority constructed an embankment two kilometres to the east in order to protect the project area of the Padma Bridge. After the river training, the bank-line embankment reportedly was aligned to the one constructed earlier.

This is somewhat confusing. Without river training, the feasibility of a bridge is questionable. When a bridge of the order on a mighty river like the Padma is concerned, not just river training but river engineering should be conducted meticulously beforehand to determine the vulnerability or not of the structure to river erosion or shifting of the channel.

Any attempt to prevent erosion of the river by piling geo bags and cc blocks is most likely to prove a child's play. It is better to act on the basis of findings of river training and even river engineering. If needed, experts in hydro-meteorology from abroad can be hired to find out how grave the situation is and how it can be arrested sustainably. After all, this bridge has to be protected at any cost.

Early detection of any defect in the embankment will give better chance for obviating the threat effectively. There is also the need for analysing the anthropogenic impacts on the river. Sand extraction within the vicinity of the bridge was also reported a few times in the past. The bridge authority and the BWDB did not swing into action against the culprits to let such drives to act as a deterrent to the illegal and destructive practice. Before the worst happens, necessary remedial measures must be devised to save the bridge and the locality under threat.​

 

[Saif]

Ports must be made world-class to make country investment hub, says chief adviser

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday directed the persons concerned to quickly settle discussions with potential foreign investors to increase the capacity of Chattogram port with world-class services in an effort to make the country an investment hub. "We’ll have to involve s

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Ports must be made world-class to make country investment hub, says chief adviser
UNB
Published :
Apr 30, 2025 20:25
Updated :
Apr 30, 2025 20:25

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday directed the persons concerned to quickly settle discussions with potential foreign investors to increase the capacity of Chattogram port with world-class services in an effort to make the country an investment hub.

"We’ll have to involve such operators in port management so that our ports can gain the ability to compete in the international market. We must make our ports world-class to implement the investment hub that we are talking about,” he said.

The chief adviser made the directives at a high-level meeting with officials of the Ministry of Shipping, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA), Chittagong Port Authority, and other relevant departments at the State Guest House Jamuna.

The chief adviser urged all the concerned departments to complete the work by August through proper coordination.

BIDA and BEZA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun informed the meeting that the current handling capacity of Bangladesh's seaports is 1.37 million units per year, which can be increased to 7.86 million units in the next five years through proper planning and action.

He said that the currently operational New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port is capable of handling 1.27 million units per year and Mongla Port is capable of handling 0.1 million units. Their capacities can be increased to 1.5 million and 0.63 million respectively.

Ashik said once the construction of Patenga Container Terminal, Laldia Container Terminal, Bay Terminal and Matarbari Deep Sea Port is completed, Bangladesh will have a handling capacity of more than five million units.

He informed the Chief Adviser about the overall progress in the speedy completion of the Laldia Port work for foreign investment.

Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr M. Sakhawat Hossain, Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping Mohammad Yusuf, Secretary to the Chief Adviser's Office Md. Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) Muhammad Rafiqul Islam and Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority Rear Admiral S. M. Moniruzzaman, among others, were present.​