Chairman of Port Authority Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail said that all four Bay- Terminals in Chattogram port will be foreign investment.
He said, Bay-Terminal is the biggest mega project of our country. Planning is underway. We got land. The master plan is done. The deepest channel will be here. Channels of 12-14 m draft. All designs are finalized. The good news is that there were supposed to be three terminals here. Now there will be four terminals.
The Chairman of Chattogram Port Authority said these things during an exchange of views with journalists on the occasion of the 137th Port Day on Wednesday (April 24).
The Port Chairman said that the multipurpose terminal will be managed by the Chattogram Port Authority. Terminal 1 will be managed by Singapore Port Authority and Terminal 2 will be managed by Dubai-based Company DP. They will build and operate two terminals with an investment of one and a half billion to three billion dollars. A liquid bulk terminal will be built by a domestic company. Half a billion dollars are being invested there.
A total of 9 to 10 billion dollars will be invested in the bay-terminal. Foreigners will invest one billion dollars in the port's multipurpose terminal. We will also make that agreement. In other words, the Bay-Terminal will be entirely foreign investment. In all, 9 to 10 billion dollars will be invested here. It is the biggest investment in the history of Bangladesh, he said.
The Port Chairman said that the Covid pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, recent tensions in the Middle East have slowed down the expected pace of the global economy, but have not had much impact on container handling at the Chattogram port. After completing the unloading of the ship in maximum 2 days, I will release it to the next destination. Container handling in the first 9 months of FY 2023-24 increased by 8.2 percent over the same period of the previous fiscal. If the growth continues, this time there will be 3.2 million TEUs of container handling.
Last year was successful. We have been able to hire foreign operators in the PCT. This will benefit the port as well as the state. Foreign income will increase. 100% recruitment has been given. All the equipment will come in one and a half years. We have started operating the port in the landlord system out of the traditional system, he said.
Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail said that we have kept the waters safe with the cooperation of Bangladesh Navy, Coast Guard and others. Chattogram port is safe. Employment opportunities are increasing when foreign investment comes to the port. Information technology, use of modern equipment will increase.
In response to a question, he said, we want competition. And the buyer wants the order to be delivered properly. If there is logistics support in the country, the orders of garment factories will increase. 250,000 container handling fee per year in PCT to be paid to the foreign operator who gets the work order. Everyone has an account of the needs of Bangladesh. If the Bay-Terminal and deep sea port are opened, the existing port jetties will be able to accommodate lighter vessels and passenger ships.
Chairman of Chattogram Port Authority said that in the first 9 months of the financial year, general cargo handling was 9 crore 16 lakh 49 thousand tons. At this time, 3 thousand 1 ships were handled. 43 thousand square meter container yard has been constructed in the last year. As a result, there is an opportunity to keep 7 thousand containers of 20 feet. A chemical shed of 4 thousand 275 square meters has been constructed. 2 thousand 850 meters revetment work has been completed on both banks to protect the navigability of Karnaphuli river.
He also said that Matarbari seaport will start operations in its own terminal in three-four years. Efforts to procure support vessels continue so that the terminal is not closed even for a day. Survey work for acquisition of 700 acres of land in second phase in Matarbari is going on.
Regarding Karnaphuli occupation pollution, he said, Karnaphuli is the heart of Chattogram port. This river is like our mother. River digging, waste removal is being done regularly. The operation is being conducted by its own magistrate. Nets will be placed at the mouth of the canal by the port to prevent waste. But it is not possible for anyone to protect the river alone. Ports have many challenges. The port is running on the tariff fixed in 1986. Now the price of fuel has increased. Our tariffs are low compared to neighboring countries. We have made recommendations. It is important.
Commenting on the safe release of MV Abdullah, the image of the country has been brightened, the Chairman of Chattogram Port Authority said that the image of the country has been brightened as the ship MV Abdullah was safely freed from the pirates of Somalia. This has been made possible by the sincerity of the government including the Prime Minister, diplomatic activities of Bangladesh. It is a positive aspect.
Chattogram Port Board Member (Engineering) Captain Mahbubur Rahman, Member (Administration and Planning) Habibur Rahman, Member (Finance) Shahidul Alam and Secretary Omar Farooq were also present.