Deep-sea port at Matarbari: JICA suggests examining the seismic resistance

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has suggested examining the seismic resistance of the proposed deep-sea port in Matarbari as Bangladesh is vulnerable to earthquakes.

The JICA submitted a report to the Ministry of Shipping this week on the Matarbari port,

The JICA said ports in Bangladesh can potentially suffer serious damage in the event of a large-scale earthquake followed by a Tsunami.

This can render the economic activities in Bangladesh paralysed, it said.

Since the Matarbari port is expected to provide a backstop services in the event of damage to other ones, the proposed port needs to be built with disaster-resistance capacity, the JICA report recommended.

The report said that the Chittagong port was developed on soft ground, which can inflict severe damage on it if a large earthquake strikes.

The Japanese agency, which is overseeing the development of Matarbari port, also suggested that equipment to be installed in the deep-sea port must have seismic isolation device.

Officials said in some terminals at the Chittagong port the container cranes have been installed having seismic isolation device.

The decision has also been taken to use seismic isolation devices for the jetty-side container cranes to be installed in New Mooring container terminal.

The JICA, in its report, also suggested installing IP65 equivalent waterproof electrical equipments such as motors and brakes at the bottom of cranes in the Matarbari port.

The waterproof equipment needs to be installed as a countermeasure against storm surges, the report noted.

A senior official at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) told the FE the JICA will provide fund for the development of Matarbari area where apart from a deep-sea port, coal terminals, coal-fired power plant, LPG terminal, and single point mooring will be built.

He said the government signed a 2.655 billion yen loan agreement with the JICA for Matarbari port development project.

Some 67.311 billion yen loan deal on the Matarbari ultra super critical coal-fired power project was also last month.

The official said the total cost of the proposed deep-sea port is expected to be finalised soon.

A financial agreement on the cost of the deep-sea port will be signed then.

A senior official at the shipping ministry told the FE the JICA report is now under scrutiny of the ministry.

"We need to build the ports so that these can withstand natural calamities, which hit the country very often," he said replying to a query.

Country's prime seaport Chittagong is seeing over 10 per cent container handling growth during the last couple of years.

It handles over 98 per cent of container cargo while the Mongla port handles the rest.

The container cargo throughput of Bangladesh is forecasted to substantially increase to 10.3 million TEUs (Twenty foot equivalent units) by 2041 from the present level of 2.8 million TEUs.

In the absence of a deep-sea port in Bangladesh water area feeder vessels carry containers to and from transhipment ports in Colombo and Singapore for export- import trade of the country.

The first phase of the deep-sea port at Matarbari is expected to be completed by the middle of 2023 having one multipurpose and one container terminal.

The main channel of the port will have 16-metre water depth and the target is set to bring mother vessels of 8,000 TEUs in the port.

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