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Foreign operators by December
Operators will be appointed to operate the NCT, Laldia and Bay terminals of Chittagong Port by December 31, said Ashiq Chowdhury, executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA). He said this after inaugurating a service desk for users at Gate No. 4 of the port on Sunday.
Foreign operators by December
The process of appointing foreign operators to these container terminals of the port began during the ousted Awami League government in August. Among them, the government has almost finalized the process of appointing DP World of the United Arab Emirates to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), APM Terminals of the Netherlands to operate the Laldia Char terminal, and DP World of Singapore to operate one of the Bay Terminal projects and PSA International of Singapore to operate the other. New Mooring Terminal, one of these four terminals, has everything. Chittagong Drydock Limited, a navy company, is currently operating the terminal. The remaining three terminals will have to be constructed and operated. Foreign investment will be required. At the event, Ashiq Chowdhury said, “Our goal is to make some changes in the ports by December. We want to sign some agreements. We will take them to a place where once the wheel starts turning, it will not be possible to stop it. A political government will come through elections. They will need time to settle down. A plan has been made to ensure that no work stops during that time.”
Mentioning that Chittagong Port should be brought to the top of the world rankings, Ashiq Chowdhury said, “To take the port to the top of the rankings, we have to bring the best operator here. Several reforms are being made at the port. For example, we have inaugurated a software. This is a great initiative. Because through this, everything will be automated. Therefore, the time required for conducting activities will also be reduced. The work that had to be done by physically coming to the port and submitting papers earlier will now be done with one click. The allegations of corruption and harassment that were heard earlier will also decrease. Apart from this, we may see the use of artificial intelligence in the port at some point.
Chittagong Drydock Limited, a navy company, is operating the New Mooring Container Terminal for an interim period before handing it over to foreigners. Ashiq Chowdhury also spoke about the current management. He said that after handing over the port’s New Mooring Terminal to Chittagong Drydock Limited, the container handling rate has increased by about 30 percent in the first month. This is a great success. Again, the time taken to unload goods from ships has decreased by about 13 percent. 1.3 million containers were handled and unloaded at this terminal in the last fiscal year. If the current activities can be maintained, then this will increase to 1.70 million (1.7 million) by the end of the year.
Ashiq Chowdhury said, “Overall, our long-term plan was to increase the port’s capacity four to five times by 2030. Apart from this, we hear a complaint from foreign investors and domestic exporters that it takes extra time to transport a product from the country to Europe. The time it takes to transport the same product from Bangladesh is three to four times less than that from Vietnam. By 2030, the port’s goods may be cleared in less time than Vietnam. We want to be better than them.’
Port Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman and senior officials of the port were present at the event.
