The government has signed a 15-year contract with UAE-based port operator DP World to hand over the operational responsibility of the Newmooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chattogram Port.
The agreement was signed on Thursday (October 8) at 3 PM at the Investment Bangladesh auditorium, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework. Ashik Chowdhury, Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), and Isa Kazim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DP World, were present at the signing ceremony.
As per the contract, DP World will be responsible for operating NCT, the largest container terminal at Chattogram Port, for a period of 15 years.
However, prior to the contract signing, activists from several left-wing political parties and organizations protested in front of the Investment Bangladesh auditorium, opposing the deal.
NCT is the largest among the four main terminals for loading and unloading containers from ships at Chattogram Port. In the last fiscal year, approximately 1.385 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) were handled through this terminal, accounting for about 44% of the port’s total container traffic.
Currently, NCT’s operations are managed by Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, run by the Bangladesh Navy. The current operator will continue to manage the terminal until the responsibility is formally handed over to DP World.
Among the other three major terminals at Chattogram Port, the General Cargo Berth (GCB) and Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) are operated by domestic entities. The Patenga Container Terminal, on the other hand, is managed by Saudi Arabia-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI).