Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) is considering seeking assistance from the Bangladesh Navy (BN) to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) as an interim measure, while a long-term decision on its operator is pending. Although discussions have been held with the naval advisor, no final decision has been made yet, officials said.
On Saturday, Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, the shipping advisor, visited Chattogram Port accompanied by planning advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud. During their presence, the matter was discussed in a meeting where it was conveyed that the Ministry of Shipping would consult higher authorities of the government before announcing a final decision soon.
The contract between CPA and the current operator, Saif Powertec, is set to expire on July 6. The government will determine whether the next operator will be a domestic or a foreign entity. Meanwhile, the CPA is exploring the option of running the terminal with BN support during this transitional period.
When asked, Port Secretary Md Omar Faruk said no conclusive decision has been reached yet. “Several options are being considered. Whether the Navy will assist in operating NCT will be decided later. Right now, everything is still under discussion,” he added.
While the two advisors were holding the meeting, left-leaning organisations under the banner of “Anti-Imperialist Patriotic People” were demonstrating in front of the port building. Their two-day road march, which began Friday and concluded Saturday, demanded the cancellation of any plans to hand over the management of Chattogram Port — including NCT — to any foreign company.
The New Mooring Container Terminal is Bangladesh’s largest container terminal, featuring five jetties — four of which serve oceangoing vessels, while the fifth handles vessels plying internal waterways.
S M Abu Tayeb, chairman of the International Business Forum, said the previous government had initiated a process to hand over NCT’s operations to UAE-based DP World, and the current interim government has moved this process forward. A contract is expected to be signed in November, he said. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank affiliate, is working as a transaction advisor or mediator on behalf of the Bangladesh government. Until that deal is finalised, the terminal may be operated with BN support, sources indicated.
For the past 17 years, four jetties of NCT and two jetties of the Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT) have been under Saif Powertec’s control, awarded through direct procurement instead of competitive bidding on 11 occasions. These six jetties together handle 62% of all containers at Chattogram Port, while the remaining 38% are managed through other jetties.