Minister for Shipping Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Wednesday told the Jatiya Sangsad that the government has no plan to hand over the country’s prime seaport-Chattogram Port- to any foreign operator, reports BSS.
“There is no plan to hand over Chattogram Port to any foreign operator,” the Minister categorically said while responding to a starred tabled question from treasury bench member Md Shahadat Hossain (Laxmipur-1) in the House.
He clarified that under approved frameworks, including Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement; operators may be appointed solely for the management of specific port terminals. “In such cases, both local and foreign operators are considered eligible,” he said.
The minister noted that, in line with ongoing modernization and the growing volume of the country’s import-export trade, different terminals of the port are being operated by both domestic and international operators to enhance capacity.
He mentioned that the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) is currently being operated by a foreign operator.
In addition, a deal has been signed under the PPP model with APM Terminals BV, a subsidiary of Denmark-based Maersk Group, for the construction and operation of the Laldia Container Terminal on the right bank of the Karnaphuli River.
Shaikh Rabiul Alam further said that Chattogram Port is an autonomous entity being operated under the Chattogram Port Authority Act, 2022, led by a chairman and a board, along with its officials and employees.
The authority functions in accordance with government policies and directives issued from time to time, he said.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
