The Paira Port Authority (PPA) has requested the government to declare five components of the Paira seaport project as priority ones with a view to ensuring their quick implementation, officials said.
The country's third seaport in Patuakhali district is set to go into full-fledged operation in 2019 to cope with the growing pressure of seaborne cargoes to be generated especially from transit facilities offered to neighbouring India, they added.
The components are: capital and maintenance dredging of the main channel of the port, two container terminals, a dry bulk terminal and a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant.
PPA chairman Saidur Rahman told the FE on Friday over phone that he has submitted a proposal to the ministry of shipping (MoS) to get approval of the cabinet, declaring the five components of the port as priority ones.
He said for quicker implementation of the seaport project -- a fast-track project -- these components deserve priority.
Mr Rahman said these components will be completed with 100 per cent FDI under BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) arrangement. In this regard, EOI (expression of interest) was invited in 2015. Based on the EOI, four foreign companies have been short-listed for each of the components.
For capital and maintenance dredging component, he said, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with Belgium-based Jan DE Nul NV. RFP (request for proposal) will be issued soon to select one company for each component who will be responsible for arranging funds and completing their construction work.
Sources said the PPA has already received approval from the MoS for preparing RFP for these components. Since the PPA lacks skilled human resources, it has requested the PPP (public-private partnership) office to prepare RFP for these components.
The PPA chairman said most of the foreign companies who expressed interest to get involved in Paira port construction have vast experience in this field. He cited the name of Danish company APM Terminal which operates 70 ports and container terminals all over the world.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 19, 2013 formally inaugurated the port so that it can go into operation partially before the construction of the full-fledged port.
According to a feasibility study, conducted by British consultancy company Wallingford, the construction of the full-fledged port may involve US$ 20 billion.
Of the amount, some $ 3.5 billion will be spent on capital dredging to make the port channel navigable while $ 16.5 billion will be required for establishing connectivity of the port towards Dhaka through waterways and railways, buying equipment and building terminals and jetties. The study also said some $ 350 million will be needed for maintenance dredging of the port channel every year.
Officials said India has already been allowed to use Chittagong and Mongla ports for carrying goods to its remote states using Bangladesh territory.
Bhutan and Nepal have also expressed their interest to use the ports. As the capacity of these seaports will go down in the near future, setting up of the third seaport in the country remains a high priority now, they said.
syful-islam@outlook.com
