No current government plan is there to cancel or renegotiate the previously signed concession agreement with Denmark-based APM Terminals for the construction and operation of Laldiarchar Container Terminal at Chattogram seaport, said the Shipping Minister.
Responding to a written question from lawmaker Md. Shahadat Hossain from Lakshmipur-1 during the parliamentary question-and-answer session Monday, minister Shaikh Robiul Alam made it clear that the deal was concluded through a "transparent process" under the government-to-government (G2G) framework between Bangladesh and Denmark, "in full compliance with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act and relevant regulations".
He outlined the project's timeline, saying that Bangladesh and Denmark first signed a memorandum of understanding on June 30, 2021 with the aim of promoting environmentally sustainable infrastructure development.
As part of that initiative, Denmark-based APM Terminals, a subsidiary of Maersk Group, formally proposed on May 21, 2023 to build a container terminal on the right bank of the Karnaphuli River at Laldiarchar.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs granted in-principle approval to the project on November 29, 2023. During the first Bangladesh-Denmark PPP Joint Platform meeting on January 3, 2024, the Danish government formally endorsed implementation of the project through APM Terminals.
Following due diligence and legal reviews conducted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), acting as the transaction adviser, the Chattogram Port Authority and APMT BV signed the concession agreement on November 17, 2025.
APM Terminals will invest US$550 million in developing the state-of-the-art terminal on vacant land within Chattogram Port area, he says.
The minister expressed the hope that the investment would significantly enhance the port's container-handling capacity, create new employment opportunities, and facilitate the transfer of advanced global port technologies to Bangladesh.
On another foreign-sponsored port venture, he informs that the Matarbari Deep-sea Port -- being built by Japan -- will receive large mother vessels by 2029.
Replying to a question from lawmaker Md. Nurul Islam for Chapainawabganj-3, the shipping minister said the Matarbari Deep-sea Port is set to mark a historic milestone in Bangladesh's maritime-trade infrastructure.
The port, he says, is expected to become operational by 2029, enabling Bangladesh, for the first time in its history, to directly accommodate container mother vessels with capacities of around 8,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and cargo ships of up to 100,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT).
"This will allow vessels with nearly four times the carrying capacity of those currently handled at Chattogram Port to berth directly, bringing a transformative change in the country's import and export trade," the minister told the parliament.
He noted that Bangladesh's existing seaports lack the required draft to receive large mother vessels, forcing importers to rely on regional transshipment hubs such as Singapore, Colombo and ports in Malaysia. Cargo must be unloaded there and transported to Bangladesh on smaller feeder vessels, increasing both transportation costs and transit times.
The minister has informed parliament that Matarbari Deep-sea Port is being developed with a navigation channel of approximately 16 metres in depth and a modern container terminal.
Once operational, the port will reduce Bangladesh's dependence on foreign transshipment ports, speed up cargo handling and transportation, lower logistics costs, and improve the competitiveness of the country's foreign trade, he says.
Beyond strengthening Bangladesh's maritime-trade capacity, the minister adds, Matarbari Port is expected to emerge as a major regional maritime hub, playing an important role in facilitating international trade and transit for neighbouring countries.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
