The Padma Bridge has transformed the export dynamics of Mongla Port in an unexpected way: frozen food shipments through the port have nearly halved from pre-bridge levels, even as improved connectivity with Dhaka has opened an entirely new export stream in garments.
Frozen food exports through Mongla fell from 33,316 metric tons in FY2020-21 to 17,262 tons in FY2024-25, a decline of about 48%, as exporters increasingly turned to Chittagong Port to secure vessels matching strict overseas buyers’ schedules.
At the same time, garments, which had virtually no export presence at Mongla before the Padma Bridge opened on June 25, 2022, have emerged as a significant new cargo for the southwestern port.
Garment exports began with just 454 tons in FY2022-23 before surging more than tenfold to 4,730 tons the following year. Another 4,181 tons were exported in FY2024-25.
The contrasting trends highlight how the bridge has altered the competitive relationship between the country’s two major seaports.
Faster road connectivity has made Mongla considerably more accessible to Dhaka-based exporters, but it has also made it easier for southwestern businesses to move time-sensitive goods to Chattogram when appropriate vessels are unavailable at Mongla.
Frozen food loses ground
Frozen food had traditionally been one of Mongla’s important export commodities.
In FY2020-21, 33,316 tons were exported through the port in 3,081 TEUs. The following year, shipments stood at 31,715 tons.
After the Padma Bridge opened, exports dropped to 22,575 tons in FY2022-23 and remained almost unchanged at 22,576 tons the following year before falling to 17,262 tons in FY2024-25.
SK Kamrul Alam, vice-president of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association in Khulna, attributed the shift largely to vessel schedules.
Frozen food exporters must comply with strict deadlines set by international buyers, he said. Ships matching those schedules are not always available at Mongla, forcing exporters to send consignments through Chittagong.
“When a ship is available at Mongla Port that matches the schedule, we use Mongla,” he said.
Mongla Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa acknowledged the challenge.
He said Dhaka could now be reached from Mongla in around four hours following the opening of the Padma Bridge, compared with around seven and a half hours between Dhaka and Chittagong.
That has helped attract garment exporters to Mongla, but the same connectivity allows frozen food traders to reach Chittagong when vessel schedules make it necessary.
Capacity remains underused
The shifting cargo mix comes as substantial parts of Mongla’s existing capacity remain unused.
The port can handle 1,500 vessels annually but handled 815 in the last fiscal year, or 54.33% of capacity.
Cargo throughput performed considerably better, reaching 12.251 million tons against capacity of 15 million tons, or 81.67%.
Container utilisation remains much lower. Mongla handled 29,714 TEUs against annual capacity of 100,000 TEUs, just 29.71%.
It also handled 12,075 reconditioned vehicles against capacity for 20,000, representing 60.37%.
Despite those challenges, the port exceeded its FY2025-26 revenue target. Against a target of Tk367.87 crore, it collected Tk387.95 crore, up Tk40.83 crore, or 11.76%, from the previous year.
Mongla seeks more ships
Port authorities are now seeking to increase vessel calls, particularly container services, while developing Mongla as a direct “first calling port.”
Plans include attracting direct feeder services to major hubs such as Singapore, improving the Khulna-Mongla and Khulna-Bhanga road links and addressing navigability along the port’s 144-kilometre channel.
Two container terminals, a container handling yard and a delivery yard are planned under the Indian LoC-3-funded Upgradation of Mongla Port project.
The port is also procuring two tugboats, a buoy-laying vessel, a search-and-rescue vessel, a pilot mother vessel and a survey-and-research vessel under another project scheduled for completion in June 2027.
Mostafa said the projects were aimed at increasing Mongla’s capacity and accelerating trade and economic activity across the southwestern region.
