Final master plan by Sept

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 29: The master plan for the construction of the bay terminal of Chattogram seaport will be finalised within the next month (September).
According to sources, the groundbreaking work for the terminal is likely to be done in October.
Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail said the terminal-related work was going on in full swing. The master plan, now in its final stages, will be done within September.
After completing the final master plan, he said, ground breaking work is likely to be done in October.
"Now, we're continuing the dredging the bay for terminal work. The design of channels has already been made," said Mr Sohail.
"The draft of the terminal is natural and it is 11 metres now. We can berth 14 metre draft ships after construction."
The CPA is all set to launch the construction work of Bay Terminal in 2023. All preparations, including land acquisition and design, have been made.
According to Mr Sohail, the remaining two terminals will be allotted to foreign companies under the public-private partnership (PPP) modality.
The Chattogram district administration handed over 68 acres of land to the CPA last October to this end. The CPA sought to lease it at a nominal rate, he said.
CPA secretary Omar Faruk said, "We got the master plan from Korean companies and submitted the DPP as per the plan."
After getting the approval, the process of tender and other procedure will be started this year, he added.
The CPA has decided to set up a new terminal named "Bay Terminal" on Patenga coastline with all modern facilities to mobilise port activities and reduce transportation costs.
The terminal to be built on 900 acres of land will allow big ships, which cannot berth at Chattogram port jetties to carry out shipment activities.
Bay terminal is likely to be operated from 2026.
It is expected to increase container-handling capacity of the port by up to 5.0 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) yearly from the current 3.1 million TEUs.
Bay terminal is also expected to contribute 2.0-3.0 per cent to the growth of the national economy.

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