$550m Laldia Terminal to Break Chattogram’s Port Bottleneck

Bangladesh has embarked on a potentially game-changing transformation of its maritime trade gateway, beginning construction of the Laldia Container Terminal in Chattogram on Sunday in partnership with Denmark-based global port operator APM Terminals.

Backed by more than $550 million in foreign investment, the terminal is expected to add around 800,000 TEUs to Chattogram Port’s annual container-handling capacity, opening the door to larger ships, faster cargo movement and potentially lower logistics costs for the country’s exporters.

But the real test of the project will extend far beyond the terminal’s gates.

Can a world-class port facility finally break the bottlenecks of Bangladesh’s wider logistics chain?
That question is critical because the efficiency of a modern terminal ultimately depends on what happens after a container leaves the quay. Trucks must carry it, customs must clear it, inland container depots and warehouses must receive it, and freight forwarders must deliver it to factories, exporters and markets.

If those links remain slow and congested, experts warn, the gains from a sophisticated new terminal could be severely diluted.

The Bangladeshi partner in the project, QNS Container Services Ltd, is headed by logistics industry veteran Nurul Qayyum Khan, whose extensive experience in inland container depots could prove crucial in integrating the new terminal with the country’s existing logistics ecosystem.

Khan spent 17 years as founder and former president of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association and has also held leadership positions in several business and trade organisations.

Industry insiders believe such local expertise will be particularly important as Laldia moves from construction to commercial operations. A modern terminal can dramatically accelerate vessel handling, but its benefits can quickly disappear if containers remain stranded on roads, at warehouses or in customs yards.

In other words, Bangladesh may be building a world-class terminal �" but it will need a world-class logistics network to make it work.

The scale of Laldia is nevertheless significant. The terminal is being designed to handle vessels of up to 6,000 TEUs, more than twice the roughly 2,700-TEU vessels Chattogram Port can currently accommodate.

It will feature a 613-metre jetty, modern cranes and advanced cargo-handling equipment, potentially allowing Bangladesh to receive substantially larger vessels directly and reduce its reliance on regional transshipment hubs such as Singapore and Colombo.

For exporters, particularly the readymade garment sector, the prospect of fewer transshipments, shorter shipping times and reduced vessel waiting could offer a major competitive advantage.

QNS Chairman Khan has identified long vessel waiting times and congestion as significant sources of additional costs for shipping lines and exporters. Even a modest reduction in waiting and turnaround times could generate substantial savings across the supply chain.

The economic impact could also spread well beyond Chattogram Port.

As cargo volumes rise, transport companies, warehouses, inland container depots, freight forwarders, customs-related businesses, equipment suppliers and other logistics service providers could see new investment and business opportunities.

The terminal is being developed under a public-private partnership, with APM Terminals and its local partner responsible for designing, financing, constructing and operating the facility, while the Chattogram Port Authority will retain ownership.

Construction is expected to take about three years, with commercial operations targeted for around 2030.

For Bangladesh, therefore, Laldia represents more than another terminal. It is a $550 million test of whether the country can finally turn its strategic port location into a faster, cheaper and more competitive trade gateway.