Matarbari may be selected as deep seaport site

In a major policy shift, the government is now considering Matarbari for setting up a deep seaport, instead of Sonadia island in Cox's Bazar district, officials said Friday.
The Prime Minister at the first-track project monitoring committee meeting Wednesday asked the Shipping Ministry to assess the possibility of the Matarbari in Maheshkhai island for the proposed deep seaport, a top government official told the FE.
The PM also asked the authority to assess possibility of establishing a world-class seaport at Paira in Patuakhali district so that the south-western region of the country and neighbouring states including Nepal and Bhutan can get benefit from it, the official.
In August last year, the government approved a Tk 360 billion project to set up a port for handling imported coal for the proposed 1,200 megawatt Matarbari power plant at Maheshkhali island in the Bay of Bengal.
Matarbari is only 25 kilometres off Sonadia island in the Bay of Bengal.
"Since Matarbari Island is quite near Sonadia island, the government has been rethinking about setting up of the deep seaport at Sonadia," said another senior government official.
He said the first-track project monitoring committee in its last meeting at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) opined that since Matarbari has already been selected for setting up a seaport, it is better to lay emphasis on this place instead of Sonadia island.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal Thursday said: "Sonadia island is only 25 km away from Maheshkhali Island. So, the government is thinking whether it will be a wise decision to set up the deep seaport at Matarbari."
He said that the government would now assess its viability.
Mr Mustafa Kamal said: "Under the Tk 360 billion project, the government will set up the port at Matarbari where 80,000 deadweight tonnes of ships will be able to anchor. So, this is a better site for the deep seaport."
Earlier, the government decided to set up the deep-seaport at Sonadia island, only 9 kilometres from Cox's Bazar district.
The UAE-based firm DP World, the Netherlands government-owned company Rotterdam Port and the Chinese company-China Harbour had given offers to Bangladesh for building the deep seaport at Sonadia in the Bay of Bengal.
The Bangladesh government in June last year signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China to construct the deep-sea port at Sonadia.
According to the proposal of the Chinese state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC), the project will be executed in three phases -- Phase 1 will cater to the shipping demands till 2020, Phase 2 till 2030 and Phase 3 till 2055.
Initially, the CHEC will execute the Phase 1 of the deep-sea port.
Another senior official said since the government is set to build a port investing billions of taka at Matarbari in Maheshkhali island, it is now preferring to improve this proposed port as the deep-seaport.
"It will be wise to set up one deep seaport at an appropriate place. As Matarbari has already been selected for a port, the government should not invest more for another port beside it," he added.
kabirhumayan10@gmial.com