A customs bonded area is emerging close by Bangladesh's prime port that is designed to augment container-and cargo- storage capacity and boost the country's international trade.
As planned, the backyard of the under-construction Patenga Container Terminal (PTC) and its adjacent area would be declared customs bonded area to make it bustlingly operational.
Much in the mode of bonded-warehouse facility, cargoes will be stored in the special extended port zone and the customs will assess those in the zone, officials said.
According to the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), the PCT is almost ready and could be made operational in coming January.
Construction of the terminal, scheduled to be completed by December 2021, has backup facility with 89,000-square-metre container yard, 2128-sq-metre Container Freight Station (CFS) shed, 2150-metre wall with six-metre height and other facilities.
The CPA is constructing the PCT under a project involving Tk 20.75 billion to increase the logistic capacity of berthing, and cargo-and container handling.
CPA secretary Omar Faruq said some 85 per cent of works of the PCT have been completed.
"We hope to inaugurate in the terminal in next January 2022," he said.
Once completed, the new terminal will be able to handle about 450,000 TEUs of containers annually, he said.
Following a proposal of the CPA secretary, the Ministry of Shipping has requested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to expedite the procedure of declaring back-up facility of the terminal as customs bonded area in a bid to facilitate trade.
The CPA has attached schedule of the area of PCT with its proposal.
Shipping Secretary Mohammad Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury said they had requested the NBR for allowing bonded facility so that the terminal could be made operational without delay.
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) authority is working on appointment of 'transaction adviser' who will conduct the assessment of potential investors for operation of the terminal, he added.
Four-five companies have so far shown their interest informally in investing in PCT operation.
A customs official at the NBR said there is a process in declaring a place as customs bonded area where customs authority will conduct their assessment of imports and exports.
The NBR will have to take opinion of the Chattogram Customs House (CCH) in this regard.
"We will extend all possible support to keep smooth flow of import-export trade," he said.
A senior official of the PPP authority said it would take time to appoint the transaction adviser.
The adviser would determine whether operators of the terminal would be chosen on government-to-government basis or through inviting tenders.
He said it could take at least a year to complete the process of selection of investors.
CPA sources said delay in selection of operators would not affect the PCT operation as CPA would run it on its own capacity until it is handed over to the private investors.
The port tariffs would be determined as per government rate for the PCT if CPA operates it.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Faruque Hassan says they are facing problem due to scarcity of container- storage capacity of the port.
"The PCT would help in increasing the port capacity and keeping supply chain uninterrupted," he hopes.
Earlier, the BGMEA in a letter to the NBR had requested allowing delivery of all import commodities from the port instead of private off-docks.
In the letter the association of main export sector struck a note of optimism that construction of PCT would resolve the problem of container storage in port.
Currently, the Chattogram seaport is overburdened having to handle 98 per cent of the containers in the country.
The BGMEA said present container congestion at the Chittagong port wouldn't ease at least until the PCT becomes operational.
Construction of the PCT was inaugurated on September 8, 2017. The 600-metre-long container terminal is being constructed on 26 acres of land located between Chattogram Dry Dock and the Boat Club of Patenga.
In March 2021, the cabinet committee on economic affairs approved a $58 million PPP project for PCT to increase the efficiency and logistical capacity of the country's prime port.
The 'Equip, Operate and Maintenance of Patenga Container Terminal' project will be implemented under the PPP model.
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