The government has planned a Tk 43.93 billion project for modernisation of Mongla Port, considering the growing demand for using the port by Bangladesh and other South Asian countries, officials said.
The Ministry of Shipping (MoS) has prepared a development project proposal titled 'Modernisation and Expansion of Mongla Port Facilities'.
"We have sent the proposal to the cabinet division for consideration and approval by the cabinet committee on economic affairs," a high official of the MoS told the FE.
A high official of the cabinet division said the proposal would be placed at the committee meeting scheduled Wednesday.
The fast track project is proposed to be implemented by a Chinese company under government-to-government (G2G) initiative.
The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) and China National Complete Engineering Corporation (CNCEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the project on August 12, 2015.
The Economic Relations Division (ERD) in its 34th meeting on April 21, 2016 had decided to implement the project with Chinese loan.
The ERD requested the Chinese authorities to finance the project on June 19 this year.
As per the MoU, the CNCEC is supposed to construct container terminal, multi-storied car yard, container delivery yard, container yard (adjacent to jetty no. 9), expansion of existing main road and bypass, removal of wrecks from Pussur Channel, protection of sliding of accumulated soil underneath the jetty of the port and mobile X- ray container scanner system.
Once the development work is completed, the port is expected to be able to handle 8,72,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers by 2025 and, over 4.5 million TEUs of containers and around 30,000 vehicles/ cars by 2049.
Considering the economic potentials of the port, the government has also taken development projects like Dhaka-Mawa-Mongla highways, Padma Mulipurpose Bridge and Khulna-Mongla railway line, Khan Jahan Ali Airport, Rampal Power Plant and a special economic zone.
Besides, the port will facilitate import and export activities of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN).
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