Global port operator APM Terminals, a subsidiary of Denmark’s Maersk, will invest $550 million or Tk6,700 crore to build and operate the Laldia Container Terminal in Chattogram under a 30-year government-to-government agreement between Bangladesh and Denmark.
The deal, set to be the largest single European equity investment in Bangladesh, will be signed next week, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
The fully private funded terminal, developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, will add over 800,000 TEUs twenty-foot equivalent units a year, raising Chattogram Port’s container handling capacity by 44% and enabling the port to handle ships double the size of its current vessel-handling capacity.
Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), as the infrastructure owner, will earn $21 for every TEU handled, creating steady dollar revenue for the country, BIDA said.
The 49-acre terminal at Laldia Char on the Karnaphuli River will feature a 600-metre jetty with the capability to berth three medium vessels or two large vessels simultaneously, including next-generation container ships far larger than those that can currently be called at the port.
If construction begins in early 2026, operations are expected between late 2029 and early 2030, CPA officials said.
The facility will run 24/7 with night navigation — a first for Bangladesh — and will be built as a green, low-emission terminal aligned with global climate standards.
“This will significantly expand capacity, improve efficiency and support trade growth,” CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk told Times of Bangladesh.
CPA will retain full ownership of the port, while APM Terminals and a local joint-venture partner will handle construction and operations, reducing the government’s capital burden.
APM Terminals, majority controlled by Denmark’s A.P. Møller Foundation, operates more than 60 container terminals in 33 countries, including 10 of the world’s top 20 best-performing ports identified by the World Bank 2024.
Nearly 98% of Bangladesh’s container trade moves through Chattogram Port, which handles 3.3 million TEUs a year, with Maersk alone carrying about one-third of the country’s containerised trade.
Officials expect the terminal to cut vessel turnaround time, reduce per-unit shipping cost, improve container dwell time and introduce direct global connectivity.
“When global operators run port infrastructure, logistics efficiency rises and supply chain cost falls,” a senior port official said.
Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif said the investment reflects strong global confidence and will encourage competition among terminal operators.
The project is expected to create 500–700 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs across transport, depot operations, freight, warehousing and SMEs.
APM Terminals will also introduce advanced terminal systems, automation tools, LEAN operations, safety frameworks and workforce training for local technicians and engineers.
Officials said the terminal will stimulate hinterland logistics growth, cold chain expansion and industrial corridor investment along the Dhaka–Chattogram belt, supporting Bangladesh’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Laldia Char, owned by CPA, was cleared of illegal occupation in March 2021 and has remained ready for development.
APM Terminals earlier explored Patenga and Bay Terminal projects but will now enter Bangladesh through Laldia, setting a new benchmark for public-private port infrastructure.
