Chittagong Port Authority has signed an agreement with a Japanese consulting firm for the construction of Matarbari deep seaport. The agreement was signed at a five-star hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday. According to the plan, if the first phase of construction of the port is completed by 2028, ships with a draft of 16.5 meters will be able to dock at the port jetty. The maximum draft of the port of Singapore is 18 meters.
It is the fourth port in the country. Earlier, ports have been constructed in Chittagong, Mongla and Payra. However, in terms of depth, it will be the largest draft ship in the country. Now, among the ports of the country, Chittagong port has a maximum draft of nine and a half meters. There is a draft of eight and a half meters in Mongla and seven and a half meters in Pigeon. However, the port authorities are making arrangements to anchor larger ships in the pigeons through capital dredging.
Two agreements were signed at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka on Wednesday. Jafar Alam, Project Director of the Chittagong Port Authority (CHABC) activities of the Matarbari Port Development Project and Naoki Kudo, a representative of Nippon Koy of Japan, signed the engineering agreement on their behalf. Md. Sadequl Islam, Project Director, Department of Roads and Highways (RHD), Matarbari Port Development Project (Port Link Road Part) and Shunji Yoshihara, Representative of Oriental Consultant Global Company Limited, Japan, signed the agreement on Roads and Highways Department.
While examining the JICA-funded Matarbari power plant in the Matarbari area of Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar, it is learned that there is an opportunity for a deep seaport. At first it was thought to build a port for the power plant only to import coal but later it was changed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Matarbari port is going to make up for the lack of deep seaports in the country. Considering the importance of the issue, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina included it in the fast track project. The project was approved at the ECNEC meeting on March 10.
Nippon Koe of Japan and Oriental Consultant Global Company Limited of Japan have been finalized to be consultants for the project. It is believed that the Matarbari Port Development Project has taken another step forward through agreements with the two consulting firms.
Nippon Coe will oversee all project design, cost setting, tender documentation and infrastructural construction. Later, the consulting firm will coordinate the procurement of parts and launch of the port. The consulting firm will provide all necessary assistance up to one year after the opening of the port. For this, an agreement worth Tk 234 crore has been signed with the consulting firm.
On the other hand, Oriental Consultant Global Company Limited will provide advice regarding the activities of the Roads and Highways Department of the project (Port Link Road section). For this, the consulting company will have to pay Tk 48 crore.
At the signing ceremony, Planning Minister MA Mannan said, "Our rights in the Bay of Bengal will be further strengthened through the construction of Matarbari Port." To continue the trend of Sunil economy, Matarbari port will take it to new heights. This will open new horizons in the economy if neighboring countries start using ports.
Speaking on the occasion, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said Matarbari port would act as a facilitator to harness the vast potential of sea resources and the Bay of Bengal. The implementation of Matarbari port will be a milestone. He said Bangladesh is moving forward at a breakneck pace under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Under his leadership, Bangladesh will be a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041. The work of the project to build the golden Bengal of Bangabandhu's dream has to be completed in time.
It was informed at the signing ceremony that the first phase of Matarbari port will be completed in 2026. Once completed, the port will be able to accommodate ships at a depth of 18 meters and about 7,000 TEU's (twenty feet long containers) at Matarbari port. As a result, the overall transportation cost will be reduced by about 15 percent.
Matarbari port will be connected by road, rail and river. A well-planned communication infrastructure will be developed around the port. As a result, any product can reach the doorsteps of importers and exporters easily and at low cost. The port will facilitate the import of coal, liquid natural gas (LNG), crude oil and oil products, cement, clinker, fertilizers, food grains, steel products and scrap iron.
Rear Admiral SM Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Engineer, Roads and Highways Department, JICA Chief Representative Yuho Hayakawa and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh were present on the occasion.
The port is being constructed in Matarbari and Dhalghat areas of Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar district with funding from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). Chittagong Port Authority will implement 'Matarbari Port Development Project'. Expenditure on development of Matarbari port has been estimated at Tk 18,006 crore. Of this, JICA's loan is Tk 12,792 crore, Chittagong Port Authority's (own funds) Tk 2,213 crore and Bangladesh Government's Tk 2,061 crore. The Chittagong Port Authority will implement part of the Matarbari Port and the Roads and Highways Department will implement the road part of the Matarbari Port Development Project.
Wow, I didn't know that Bangladesh has become a new seaport It is a matter of pride for us. Let Bangladesh move forward is our expectation.