Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam told Parliament on Wednesday that Chittagong Port will be operated with the efficiency of Singapore and Colombo by 2029 once planned container terminals become fully functional.
He said that if all container terminals are operational by 2030, the overall congestion at the port will be fully resolved. The government is pursuing multiple initiatives to expand container handling capacity and reduce ship turnaround time.
The minister made the remarks in response to a question from Chittagong-15 lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury during the question-and-answer session on the fourth day of the second and first budget session of the 13th National Parliament.
The session, chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, began at 3:00pm.
Explaining port operations, Sheikh Rabiul Alam said: “Colombo and Singapore are mainly transshipment ports, where containers are offloaded from large vessels and transferred to smaller ships. As a result, customs inspection or clearance is not required in those ports. But Chittagong Port is a feeder port, so customs inspection and clearance and various legal procedures have to be completed here. That is why the turnaround time is somewhat higher here compared to transshipment ports.”
He added that nearly 100% of containers handled at Chittagong Port are linked to Bangladesh’s import-export trade. He said modernization efforts and improved port management have already reduced average ship turnaround time, with further reductions expected.
Citing progress at Patenga Container Terminal, the minister said: “Since the start of operations in June 2024, the average waiting time of ships at the port has dropped to almost zero. In the past, vessels had to wait for a long time in the deep-sea area, but now no ship has to wait anymore. Currently, container handling takes about 2.1 days on average. However, if all planned terminals are fully operational, this time can be reduced to just half a day by 2029.”
He said Patenga Container Terminal is currently operated by a foreign operator. He also said Laldia Terminal is being prepared for launch through development work, while a memorandum of understanding has been signed for Bay Terminal operations. Discussions are ongoing with DP World on Bay Terminal-2, while Bay Terminal-3 is planned to be implemented under the direct management of the government and the port authority.
“If all planned container terminals in Chittagong are brought into operation, they will be fully functional by 2029, and then it will be possible to provide services as fast as Singapore and Colombo,” he added.
Chittagong-10 lawmaker Shahadat Hossain Selim corrected the record in Parliament, saying, “The Patenga Container Terminal is being operated by Saudi Arabia-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company, not the Port of Singapore.”
The minister said he was referring to the Saudi company.
Parliament was also informed that discussions are ongoing with Dubai-based DP World and Singapore’s PSA to attract foreign investment for the construction and operation of the new Bay Terminal at Chittagong Port.
