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The maritime trade infrastructure of Bangladesh is set to achieve a monumental leap as the foundation stone of the state-of-the-art, $550 million Greenfield Container Terminal at Laldia Char in Patenga will be formally laid on Sunday, inaugurating the single largest foreign-funded terminal project at Chattogram Port.
Spread across 49.15 acres along the right bank of the Karnaphuli River—approximately nine kilometres downstream from existing operational berths—the mega-facility will be built, financed, and operated by global maritime giant APM Terminals, a subsidiary of A.P. Moller - Maersk, under a long-term Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework.
The ground-breaking ceremony will be graced by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, MP, as chief guest at 11:00 am, alongside Road Transport and Bridges, Railways, and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam, MP, as special guest.
The construction of this dedicated international facility will expand Chattogram Port’s container-handling volume by roughly 800,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually, providing a crucial capacity buffer to the country's prime seaport. Outlining the strategic and economic advantages of the new deep-draft terminal, Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Syed Refaet Hamim stated:
"At present, vessels exceeding a 10-metre draft cannot berth at Chattogram Port, restricting calls to smaller feeder ships with capacities capped at 2,700 TEUs and forcing Bangladeshi trade cargo to depend on transshipment hubs like Colombo and Singapore. The operationalization of the Laldia Container Terminal will enable the direct handling of mother vessels carrying up to 6,000 TEUs with a 10.5-metre draft, drastically eliminating transit delays, reducing feeder dependency, and lowering freight logistics costs."
The terminal will feature a continuous 613-metre container jetty and advanced, low-emission automated handling machinery, comprising seven modern ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes, 32 electric rubber-tyred gantry (ERTG) cranes, and 41 electric terminal tractors. The concession agreement encompasses a 33-year term—three years for construction and 30 years of commercial operations—with a statutory provision for a 15-year extension upon compliance.
State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin noted that the substantial foreign direct investment will bolster investor confidence and accelerate regional commerce, asserting that on-schedule completion will transform Chattogram Port into a modern, competitive maritime powerhouse.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/bangladesh/1f1a3cf6-e5fb-65c0-ba5e-1e6a5be72234