CHITTAGONG, Apr 6: Port users and others concerned have expressed their views in favour of the construction of the deep-sea port at Sonadia in Moheshkhali, but have observed that a feasibility study should be done to make sure there are enough users of the port.
They said a huge deep-sea port could be constructed at Sonadia, but the giant port would be useless if "we do not find users for the port".
Dutch ambassador to Bangladesh Gerben De Jong said Rotterdam Deep Sea Port can be a model for Sonadia Deep Sea Port and that his country was ready to provide technical support to the massive infrastructure.
Director (traffic) of Chittagong Port Authority Golam Sarwar said India and China have expressed their interest in building the deep-sea port, because they are eager to use the port for transportation of their cargoes.
"It will be a giant port. The cost of construction will also be a huge one. If you don't get users, it will be no use constructing the port," he viewed.
The port users attended a view-exchange meeting today on the Sonadia deep-sea port and Chittagong Port Operation, organised jointly by Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Embassy of the Netherlands at the CCCI auditorium.
The Dutch ambassador emphasised the construction of Sonadia deep-sea port saying that it would enhance regional communication, economic cooperation, internal connectivity, infrastructure, power and energy and the capacity of Chittagong port.
Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Ambassador De Jong said the PM had been told that many countries across the world have praised construction of the Rotterdam Deep Sea Port as an ideal one.
"If such a port is constructed at Sonadia, the Dutch will come forward with their technical know-how, expertise and experience to construct the port," De Jong said.
President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mahbubul Alam said as per the current trend, the sea-borne trade would stand at around 70-80 million metric tonne (MT) by the year 2020.
Sonadia deep-sea port would be a very suitable deep-sea port in respect of Indian north-eastern states, Kunming province of China, Arakan province of Myanmar and also in the context of international trade. The annual growth of Bangladesh will increase by 2 per cent as well, he said.
The meeting was addressed, among others, by CCCI vice president Syed Jamal Ahmed, Rotterdam's senior port planner Jan Yan Willam Coman, privatisation and financial modelling expert Frank Masson, CCCI director Mahfuzul Hoque Shah, the chief, planning department of Chittagong Port Authority M Moniruzzaman, coast guard zonal commander Captain Shahidul Islam, Custom House joint commissioners Mahmudul Hasan and Abu Foisal Murad, BGMEA director Anjan Shekhor Das, BKMEA leader Shawkat Osman, honorary consul of the Philippines MA Awaal, Engineer SK Ghose, and BAFFA leader Amirul Islam Chowdhury.
