Chittagong Dry Dock Limited will take over the responsibility of managing the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong port from Saif Powertec Limited for six months on Monday.
"We hope that the new journey will reduce corruption, break port-based syndicates, increase mobility and boost revenue," Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder told UNB, noting that it is going to be a historic change.
The interim government previously decided not to renew the contract with the current operator, Saif Powertec, which is set to expire on Sunday.
Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, formerly an enterprise of Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation, was created as a complementary facility to the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) to cater to regular and emergency repair needs of national flag carrier vessels as well as those that touch Chittagong port.
On December 23, 2015, CDDL was handed over to the Bangladesh Navy and is now operated under the management of the navy as a state-owned limited company.
CDDL will initially be responsible for managing the NCT for six months under the direct procurement method.
"If everything goes well, international operators will be involved," Azad said.
Chittagong port is the key seaport of Bangladesh, handling about 92% of the import and export trade of the country.
The New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) was constructed at a cost of Tk737 crore with a 1,000-metre-long berth and backup facilities on 65 acres of land in view of the increasing trend of containerization in the maritime trade.
The NCT commenced vessel operation in May 2007.
Saif Powertec has been in charge of its management since the construction of the container terminal.
