Matarbari deep seaport to begin operations in 2029 Shipping Minister

Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Monday said the under-construction Matarbari Deep Seaport in Cox’s Bazar is expected to transform the country’s maritime trade by enabling large mother vessels to call directly at a Bangladeshi port, significantly reducing dependence on foreign transhipment ports.

Replying to a question from MP Md Nurul Islam (Chapainawabganj-3) in Parliament, he said the construction of the deep seaport is progressing with the goal of commencing operations by 2029.

Rabiul said the deep seaport will be capable of accommodating container vessels with a capacity of around 8,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and cargo ships of up to 1 lakh deadweight tonnes (DWT).

The facility is expected to reduce dependence on transhipment hubs such as Singapore, Colombo and Port Klang, cutting both shipping time and import-export costs while enhancing Bangladesh’s trade competitiveness.

The minister said Bangladesh’s existing seaports lack the required draft to handle large mother vessels.

As a result, most import and export cargo must first be unloaded at regional transhipment ports before being transported to Bangladesh by feeder vessels, increasing logistics costs, delivery time and pressure on the supply chain.

He said the Matarbari project includes the construction of a 16-metre-deep navigation channel and a modern container terminal.

Replying to another question, the government has no plan to cancel or renegotiate the concession agreement signed with Denmark-based APM Terminals for the construction and operation of the Laldiar Char Container Terminal at Chattogram Port, he told the House.

He outlined the project’s timeline, saying Bangladesh and Denmark first signed a memorandum of understanding on June 30, 2021, aimed at promoting environmentally sustainable infrastructure development.

As part of that initiative, Denmark-based APM Terminals, a subsidiary of the Maersk Group, formally proposed on May 21, 2023, to build a container terminal on the right bank of the Karnaphuli River at Laldiar Char.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs granted in-principle approval to the project on November 29, 2023. During the first Bangladesh-Denmark PPP Joint Platform meeting on January 3, 2024, the Danish government formally endorsed implementation of the project through APM Terminals.

To ease container congestion, he said the government is encouraging the delivery of all import containers through private inland container depots (ICDs) and off-docks, he said, adding that more than 10,000 TEUs of long-staying containers inside Chattogram Port are also planned to be auctioned through customs to free up yard space and speed up cargo handling.

In addition, initiatives have been taken in coordination with the National Board of Revenue to implement a pre-arrival customs clearance process, enabling faster release of imported goods before vessels berth at the port, Rabiul Alam said.