Green wave in Bay of Bengal: Australian-backed $1b mega dry dock in Matarbari approved

The Shipping Ministry has given the green signal to a massive $1 billion eco-friendly shipyard project in Matarbari, a historic step for Bangladesh’s maritime plan. Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Syed Rafayet Hamim said on Monday that the ‘Matarbari Green Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Facility’ project has been fast-tracked to the public-private partnership (PPP) stage to accelerate the country’s blue economy.

The details of this groundbreaking development are given below: Landownership Model: Zero Debt, 100% Sovereign.

# Australian Support: Fully managed and financed by AIS Marine Investments PTY Ltd.
o No Financial Risk: The state will not bear any debt liability or financial risk during the implementation of the project.
# Asset Security: 200 acres of valuable government land will be owned by Chattogram Port.
# Future handover: All state-of-the-art infrastructure will automatically revert to state ownership at the end of the contract.
# Bureaucratic clearance: The Ministry of Industries relinquished its jurisdiction on June 7 to ease the implementation process.
# Vastness and strategic capabilities
# Flagship size: It has a massive 600-meter long and 95-meter wide flagship dry dock.
# Global hub: Built to effortlessly accommodate and service the world’s largest commercial vessels.
# Bay of Bengal security: It serves as a critical repair, docking and emergency maintenance hub for deep sea shipping.
# Cluster integration: It is directly connected to the developing Maheshkhali-Matarbari industrial and energy corridor. First institutional ‘green’ dockyard
The project is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through strict adherence to the IMO’s ‘Green Voyage 2050’ framework:
# SDG 8 (Economic Growth): Creates 1,300 highly-skilled engineering jobs and 2,600 indirect jobs.
# SDG 9 (Innovation): Establishes a modern marine heavy-industrial base through global technology transfer.

# SDG 13 and 14 (Climate and Marine Life): Uses low-emission energy, closed-loop wastewater management and chemical waste technologies to protect the marine ecosystem of Cox’s Bazar.

The project is currently undergoing accelerated technical and financial appraisal under the PPP authority to commence groundbreaking activities.

With the establishment of this dockyard, this green dockyard will be developed as one of the key support installations in the huge industrial cluster, energy, port and logistics hub that the government is developing around the Maheshkhali and Matarbari regions.

This mega-project, which will be implemented entirely with private financing and without any government debt risk, will propel Bangladesh’s blue economy and sustainable economic growth forward for decades.

This public-private partnership model, which is completely self-reliant and free from government debt risk, proves that the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) is capable of providing new strategic leadership in keeping pace with the global blue economy and environmentally friendly industrialization.