Factories in the Mirsarai National Special Economic Zone (NSEZ) currently depend on 21 Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Chattogram for export container stuffing and other logistics services, requiring cargo to be transported to Chattogram before shipment.
To reduce that dependence and support the growing import-export needs of the industrial hub, a new ICD is being built inside the NSEZ at an investment of around Tk370 crore. The facility will handle around 400,000 TEUs of import, export and empty containers annually and is expected to begin full-scale commercial operations in the first quarter of 2027.
Gas 1 Limited, a subsidiary of Instar, is developing the GAS 1 CFS & ICD on 25 acres of land in Zone-16 of the NSEZ.
Instar Director SNR Tawfiq said around 75 per cent of the project’s main infrastructure work had already been completed. Construction materials for the steel structures have reached the site and installation work will begin shortly.
“The major infrastructure work is progressing rapidly. We are targeting commercial operations in the first quarter of 2027,” he said.
The project was initially estimated to cost around Tk350 crore. However, the cost has risen to approximately Tk370 crore due to additional land development, foundation strengthening and other infrastructure requirements arising from the area’s soft soil conditions.
The entire investment is being financed domestically.
Bringing logistics closer to factories
The new ICD is expected to reduce the distance between factories and container-handling facilities, cutting transportation time and costs for manufacturers operating in and around Mirsarai.
Project stakeholders expect the facility to allow manufacturers to complete a significant portion of container-handling activities closer to their production facilities.
The facility will include a Container Freight Station (CFS) shed covering around 325,000 square feet, where import-export cargo can be stored, containers opened and stuffed and other logistics operations can be carried out.
As more factories begin production in the Mirsarai economic zone, demand for container transportation is expected to rise significantly, particularly for imported raw materials, machinery and equipment and the export of finished goods.
Entrepreneurs also expect exporters from outside the economic zone, including companies based in Dhaka, to use the facility.
Khairul Alam Suzan, former vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA), said the project was a timely investment for Bangladesh’s logistics sector.
“A Tk370 crore ICD with an annual handling capacity of 400,000 TEUs can play an important role in accelerating industrialisation and investment in Mirsarai,” he said.
He added that the facility could reduce pressure on Chattogram Port and improve the efficiency of container transportation while demonstrating growing domestic investment confidence in the logistics sector.
BGMEA Vice President Mohammad Rafique Chowdhury said the development of new ICDs would create alternative logistics facilities for exporters, particularly when port congestion or capacity constraints arise.
He said having container-handling services closer to factories would help exporters reduce transportation-related delays and logistical complications.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association is also developing a garment village on around 500 acres of land in the Mirsarai industrial area. The establishment of export-oriented garment factories there is expected to further increase demand for container and cargo-handling services.
Project manager of the GAS 1 CFS & ICD Md Hasan Tareq said Chattogram Port Authority has plans to develop a jetty around the National Economic Zone in the future.
“If the jetty is developed, it could create an opportunity to transport cargo from the ICD to Chattogram Port by water,” he said.
He added that there are also plans to extend railway connectivity to the economic zone as part of the wider Dhaka-Chattogram rail network.
Instar officials said most government approvals and licences required for operating the ICD had already been obtained, including necessary approvals from the National Board of Revenue and customs authorities.
The company has already started discussions with several multinational and large domestic companies regarding the use of the facility.
The ICD is expected to directly employ around 1,000 people once fully operational. Additional indirect employment will be generated in transportation, warehousing, cargo handling and container-management services.
Instar is also developing a separate manufacturing facility, Econex Limited, on 10 acres of land in the Mirsarai National Special Economic Zone.
Scheduled to begin operations in November this year, the block factory will have a per-shift production capacity of 120,000 concrete blocks alongside 3,500 paving, roof, and parking tiles.
