PM Tarique Rahman to Inaugurate Construction of Two New Container Jetties at Mongla Port

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to visit Mongla Port for the second time since taking office. Ahead of his visit on Thursday morning (November 5), several infrastructure development initiatives have been undertaken, including the construction of two new container jetties.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the project to build the two new container jetties. Officials expect the project to increase Mongla Port’s cargo handling and container transportation capacity, creating new opportunities for the country’s import and export trade.

The Prime Minister previously visited Mongla Port and the Sundarbans on October 22.

Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa, chairman of the Mongla Port Authority, said the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at the port at 10:00 am on Thursday. He will then lay the foundation stone for the construction of two new container jetties and associated facilities under a project to expand and improve the port’s infrastructure.

The port chairman said construction would begin following the Prime Minister’s foundation-laying ceremony. An agreement for implementing the project was signed between Bangladesh and China on October 10. The total project cost has been estimated at Tk 40.68 billion.

Of the total cost, the Bangladesh government will contribute Tk 4.75 billion, while China will provide Tk 35.93 billion in financing.

The project includes the construction of a 368-metre-long container terminal and yard, along with facilities for handling dangerous cargo. A total of 49 pieces of equipment will be installed at the new container yard.

Once completed, the facility will be capable of handling more than 30 containers per hour. Overall, Mongla Port is expected to achieve an annual handling capacity of 400,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be signed on the same day at Jetty No. 9 in the presence of the Prime Minister. The agreement will be between the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and China Railway Construction Corporation.

Sheikh Faridul Islam, lawmaker for Bagerhat-3 and State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said the agreement with China would create an opportunity to establish a railway connection with Mongla Port. This would allow cargo to be transported from inland container depots (ICDs) to the port by rail and subsequently loaded onto ships through the port’s jetties.

After completing his scheduled engagements at Mongla Port on Thursday morning, the Prime Minister will travel by road to Bagerhat, where he will visit the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali. He will then proceed to Khulna to attend the inauguration ceremony of ‘Notun Kuri Season 2’. He is expected to return to Dhaka after completing the programme.

Officials hope the project will not only increase Mongla Port’s container handling capacity but also boost import-export trade in the country’s southwestern region and accelerate rail-based cargo transportation.