CHATTOGRAM, Apr 25: The construction works of the Laldia Char Container Terminal are expected to begin by June next, according to Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) sources.
Sources said that the land has already been handed over to the APM Terminals, a company under Denmark's Maersk Group. The concession agreement with the Danish company is for 33 years for construction and operation of the terminal. If conditions are met, the company will have the option to operate it for an additional 15 years. QNS Container Services is involved as a local partner in the project. The cost of the land has also been paid to the CPA, sources said.
To construct and operate the terminal on Laldia Char, the Chittagong Port Authority signed an agreement recently at a hotel in Dhaka.
APM Terminals is the second foreign company to join port operations in Bangladesh. Earlier, in June last year, Saudi Arabia-based port operator Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI) became involved in the operation of CPA Patenga Terminal. Meanwhile, the process to appoint an operator for the New Mooring Container Terminal is ongoing.
The existing container handling capacity of the Chattogram Port with the four container terminals is 3.5 million TEUs annually. When Laldia Container Terminal opens in 2030, this capacity will increase to a total of 4.3 million TEUs.
The APM Terminals notice states that the construction of Laldia Terminal will involve an investment of over 550 million USD.
During construction, around 1,000 people will be employed, and once operational, the terminal will provide employment for 500 people.
Laldia Char is located on the right bank of the Karnaphuli River, just before Guptabank near the river's mouth. Beyond Laldia Char, the river bends upstream, known as Guptabank. After Guptabank are the RSGTI Chattogrm Terminal and, further upstream, the port's three main terminals. Ships must navigate the river bends to reach these terminals, making nighttime berthing risky and preventing large ships from docking. Constructing a terminal on Laldiaa Char will eliminate these obstacles.
APM Terminals has stated that currently, the main terminals at Chattogram Port can berth ships with a container capacity of 2,800 TEUs. Once Laldia Terminal becomes operational, it will be able to accommodate ships with a capacity of 6,000 TEUs.
The government had decided to implement the project on a government-to-government (G2G) basis. In June 2021, a G2G agreement was signed between Bangladesh and the Government of Denmark. On 16 May 2023, Denmark's APM Terminals expressed interest and submitted a proposal to construct the Laldia Terminal.
Meanwhile on 17 November, the CPA inked two major agreements - a 33-year design-build-operate concession for the Laldia Container Terminal in Patenga with APM Terminals (Maersk) and a 22-year operate-and-maintain contract for the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj with MEDLOG.
