Mongla Port, Bangladesh's second seaport, is on the verge of receiving a major boost with the completion of initiatives to improve rail, waterway, and road connectivity to facilitate cargo transport.
Over 95% of the construction work on the Khulna-Mongla Port Railway Project has been completed while the Padma Bridge is already opened for traffic. Meanwhile, dredging of the inner bar of Mongla Port is underway to increase navigability and facilitate the anchoring of larger container vessels at the port's jetties.
The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) is expected to be able to serve ships with 10-metre drafts once the inner bar dredging is completed.
The dredging of the outer bar of the Mongla Port channel was completed ahead of schedule by Hong Kong River Engineering-China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) JV, according to MPA officials.
Road connectivity has already been significantly boosted with the opening of the Padma Bridge and the country's first expressway. They reduced the distance between capital city Dhaka and the port to 170km, whereas the distance between Dhaka and Chittagong Port is 264km, and between Dhaka and Payra port 270km.
Railway Ministry sources said the Khulna-Mongla Port Railway Project is expected to open early next year, after the installation of the signaling system.
“Mongla is now the nearest seaport from the capital city Dhaka as its distance is shorter than Chittagong port and road connectivity is also very smooth. We will get a railway network very soon and inner bar dredging is progressing,” said Md Mostafa Kamal, director (traffic) of the MPA.
“Businessmen, especially readymade garments factory owners, have been gradually increasing their use of Mongla port since the opening of the Padma Bridge. Once railway services commence, we expect their interest to grow significantly further,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
800,000 per year container-handling capacity by 2025
The MPA plans to improve container handling capacity to 800,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year by 2025 from 100,000 TEUs currently. Work on a public-private partnership agreement for construction of a terminal for the additional capacity is in progress.
According to a draft strategic plan, the port throughput will reach 33 million tons per year in 2030 and 72.4 million tons in 2040, up from 15.6 million tons per year at present.
Port being upgraded gradually
The MPA has implemented the Upgradation of Mongla Port project at a cost of Tk6,014crore. Through this project, the MPA will build a container terminal, container delivery yard, container handling yard, service vessel jetty, marine workshop complex, eight multi-storeyed buildings in the port area, and a floating service terminal at Akram Point, while also expanding the protected area of the port.
They will also acquire 11 different types of vessels and a trailing suction hopper.
The MPA is purchasing modern equipment to smoothen port activities at a cost of Tk767.25 crore.
Mongla Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa recently told Dhaka Tribune that procurement of equipment is underway to make the port's activities more vibrant.
“Mongla Port can expand its services by 2024 as inner bar dredging, development of jetties, and procurement of equipment will be completed by this time,” he added.
A total of 75 pieces of equipment have already been purchased under the Procurement of Machinery and Equipment essential for the Mongla Port project to increase its container and cargo handling capacity.
According to the MPA, a total of 15 development projects have been implemented at a cost of Tk 1,372 crore for the development of the port from 2009 to 2021.
