Work on the Mongla Port upgradation project to be implemented by a Chinese company is set to begin soon, while the government is also reviewing a separate Indian proposal for the same port that is believed to be excessively costly.
The disclosure came at a seminar titled “Global Shipping Issues Affecting Bangladesh” held at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) on Sunday evening.
Chief Guest and Shipping Adviser Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said there were two separate proposals for Mongla Port development: One from China and another from India.
“I found that the Chinese project was stalled and I tried to promote it,” he said. Regarding the Indian proposal, he noted that “the cost was escalated to Tk11,000 crore. I asked the port chairman to slash it, but even with reductions, how much can really be cut from Tk11,000 crore?”
Turning to Chittagong Port, the adviser said it had become a “money-making venture for some people,” though the government had taken several measures to improve its efficiency.
He said operations of the New Mooring Container Terminal, Laldia Terminal, and Pangaon Inland Water Container Terminal would be handed over to foreign operators. “DP World will manage the New Mooring Terminal, a Danish company is likely to operate the Laldia Terminal, and another reputed foreign firm will take charge of Pangaon,” he added.
Shipping Secretary Mohammed Yousuf said a comprehensive national action plan for the shipping sector would soon be finalised to ensure smooth transition and modernisation of Bangladesh’s maritime industry.
He also informed that the ministry, with technical assistance from the Japanese government, is formulating a National Port Strategy, the draft of which will be uploaded on the ministry’s website soon and finalised by December.
Director of the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies at IUB Rear Admiral (Retd) Khurshed Alam presented the keynote paper, highlighting the vast potential of Bangladesh’s blue economy and the need for strategic utilization.
IUB Vice-Chancellor M Tamim stressed the need to rethink port operations, emphasising that “there is no alternative to enhancing efficiency.”
Noted businessmen Ajam J Chowdhury and Khandker R Zaman, along with IUB Professor Md Mamun Habib, also spoke at the event.
