As no mother vessels can dock in any local seaports, Bangladeshi ready-made garment producers, other exporters, and importers currently send or receive goods to and from Europe or the US via Singapore, Colombo, or Malaysian seaports. As a result, loading and unloading cargo from lighter vessels to mother vessels at various ports takes a lot of time. In other words, it is a huge waste of money.
On the other hand, 45 days are needed to send a product from Bangladesh to the US and 35 days in the case of Europe.
Once the Matarbari deep seaport in Cox's Bazar starts operating, the cost of export or import will decrease greatly as shipment time will come down by 50-60%, according to officials concerned.
An 18-metre draft vessel with a capacity of 8,200 TEUs can be easily anchored at Matarbari, once completed in December 2026, whereas ships at the Chittagong Port jetties carry 2,000 TEUs of containers on average, according to the Shipping Ministry officials.
It means Matarbari could become a regional commercial hub like Singapore or Colombo as it will be used as a transshipment point in the Bay of Bengal. It will serve about three billion people in the region, including Bangladesh.
The development project was approved on March 10, 2020 and is expected to be completed in December 2026. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) under the Ministry of Shipping is implementing the project. Apart from the CPA, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is constructing roads in the project area.
The seaport is being constructed at a cost of around Tk17,777 crore, of which the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) is providing Tk12,892 crore as a loan, the government Tk2,671 crore and the CPA Tk2,213 crore.
“Matarbari will also be a lifeline of our economy. The port will contribute over 2% to the country's GDP,” said Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, state minister for Shipping.
Roadmap to open in 2026
The port is being constructed on an area of 1,031 acres along the shores of the Bay of Bengal. A dedicated 14km-long approach channel with a width of 350 metres has already been prepared under the project.
During a recent visit to the port area, it was found that on each side of the approach channel, a breakwater of 2.15km on the north and 670 metres on the south as well as two jetties for the 1,200MW Matarbari coal-fired power station, have already been built.
The detailed design of the project has also been completed. Apart from this, the appointment of contractors for three packages -- the construction of the jetty, procurement of ship handling equipment and procurement of tug boats -- is under process.
On the other hand, the main construction work for jetty development, installation of terminals and customs are likely to begin in the next couple of months, said officials.
“Operational activities of Matarbari deep seaport will start in 2026. For this purpose, the construction work of the two jetties and container yards will start by July,” the state minister said.
Matarbari Union Parishad Chairman Abu Haider said: “Matarbari is famous for salt farming. The area is now changing gradually due to the construction of the deep seaport and the power plant. It is a matter of pride not only for Maheshkhali but for all the people of Cox's Bazar.
“Earlier, Maheshkhali did not have good roads for commuting. Now a four-lane road is being constructed from Chakaria to Dhalghat which the people of Maheshkhali could never imagine earlier.”
Shohel Mamun is a freelance writer
