Mongla Port capacity set to expand with rising domestic, foreign investment

The government’s renewed focus on Mongla Sea Port is attracting more domestic and foreign investment, raising expectations that the country’s second-largest seaport will become a major economic hub in the southwestern region.

The growing investment is expected to boost the port’s handling capacity, create substantial employment opportunities and accelerate industrialization and trade across Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Jessore districts.

Port authorities said ongoing infrastructure development would transform Mongla into a modern seaport, reports BSS.

Since forming the government, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has visited Mongla Port twice, on October 22 and November 5.

During his visit on November 5, he laid the foundation stone for the construction of 2 new jetties at an estimated cost of Tk4,068.23 crore.

Of the project cost, Tk3,592.90 crore will come as a loan from China’s Exim Bank, while the Bangladesh government will provide Tk475.33 crore.

Once completed by December 2028, the project is expected to increase the port’s annual container handling capacity to around 394,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Meanwhile, dredging of the Pashur Channel is underway under a Tk1,538.19 crore project. Work began in July 2026 and is scheduled for completion in December 2029.

Upon completion, ships with a draft of 9.5 to 10 meters will be able to berth directly at the Mongla Port jetties, according to port authorities.

To strengthen operational efficiency and security, 2 powerful tugboats are also being procured under an ongoing project. The procurement process is underway for a buoy-laying vessel, a search-and-rescue vessel, a mother vessel, and a hydrographic survey and research vessel.

Besides, the Khulna-Mongla railway line has been constructed under an Indian-funded Line of Credit (LoC) project. A separate project to protect the marine environment by removing waste and spilled oil from ships is nearing completion.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam, MP, said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visits to Mongla Port within just 2 weeks of forming the government reflected the special attention being given to the port.

He expressed optimism that the prime minister’s visits would encourage further domestic and foreign investment centered on the port, transforming it into an economic hub for the southwestern region.

He said industrialization, expansion of trade and increased foreign investment would create employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young people, improve the socioeconomic conditions of the region and accelerate the country’s ambition to become a trillion-dollar economy.

Talking to this correspondent, Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mustafa, chairman of Mongla Port Authority, said the foundation stone had been laid for a major Tk4,068 crore project to develop the port into a modern economic hub.

Under the project, jetties No 10 and 11, a container yard covering around 227,000 square meters and a container freight station will be constructed.

These facilities will significantly increase container storage capacity and speed up cargo handling, he added.

He also said an initiative had been taken to introduce direct container train services from Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Dhaka to Mongla Port, which would facilitate faster and cheaper transportation of goods.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Mongla Port Employees’ Association on November 6, Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam said Mongla Port had created enormous economic and strategic opportunities for the southwestern region and the country as a whole.

He said the government had taken various steps, including modernization and infrastructure development, to establish the port as a major economic hub in the southern region.

Rabiul Alam said the establishment of a China Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and other major industrial enterprises would expand economic activities in Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Jessore districts.

Expansion of the highway from Bhanga to Mongla and the development of new rail connections were also progressing, creating prospects for substantial investment and employment.

He said improved road, river and rail connectivity would turn Mongla into a regional transit hub.
Located only 188 kilometers from Kolkata, the seaport was also gaining additional commercial advantages over Chittagong Port due to easier road access.

Sources said work was also underway to establish economic zones near the port, including the China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone.

The proposed facilities for manufacturing, warehousing and logistics are expected to encourage new industries along the Mongla-Bhanga corridor.

Lauding the government’s initiatives and the prime minister’s recent visits to Mongla Port, businesspeople expressed satisfaction, saying the port had significant potential once the government’s development initiatives, including the new jetty construction project, were completed.

They also expressed concern over persistent operational challenges, particularly the navigability crisis in the Pashur River.

Talking to this correspondent, Mosharraf Hossain, president of the Mongla Port Customs Agents Association, said the country’s second-largest seaport was gradually losing its competitive edge because of inadequate navigability in the river in the past.

The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) also earned a profit of over Tk400 crore this year due to immediate dredging initiatives by the present government, he said.

Mosharraf also said large vessels had to unload most of their cargo at the outer anchorage before entering the port, increasing transportation costs and disrupting schedules.

As a result, container traders were increasingly shifting to Chittagong Port because of difficulties in ensuring the timely delivery of goods.

“The government initiatives will increase vessel arrivals,” he said, adding that they would resolve the navigability problem permanently.

He also called for a high-level government monitoring team to oversee dredging activities and prevent irregularities in project implementation.

Captain Md Rafiqul Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association, Khulna, said large vessels could not reach the jetties directly and had to unload nearly half of their cargo at the outer anchorage before proceeding to the port with the remaining goods.

Emphasizing the need for a permanent solution, Rafiqul Islam, who has been involved in the shipping business since 1993, said the authorities generally addressed problems as they emerged but rarely focused on their root causes through long-term planning.

He said adopting planned management practices similar to those followed at river ports in developed countries could ensure navigability for the next 10 to 15 years without recurring problems.

Contacted by this correspondent, Zulfikar Ali, general secretary of the Mongla Port Berth and Ship Operators Association, identified 3 major reasons behind the decline in vessel movements: navigability problems, a reduction in container ship arrivals and fewer gas-carrying vessels.

He said fewer than half the container ships that previously called at the port were now arriving because of inadequate navigability.

Higher container transportation costs from Mongla and frequent disruptions to vessel schedules were also discouraging traders.

Zulfikar Ali said exporters often faced difficulties loading goods onto ships within scheduled deadlines, sometimes prompting foreign buyers to refuse shipments. To avoid such risks, many businesses were increasingly opting for Chittagong Port, he added.

Mongla Port users also expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visits to the port would usher in a new era in its history. They added that completion of the new projects would help transform the port into an economic hub for the southwestern and northwestern regions.