Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has said the government has no plan to hand over Chattogram Port, the country’s main seaport, to any foreign operator.
He made the remarks on Wednesday in Parliament while responding to a starred question from Md Shahadat Hossain, a treasury bench member from Laxmipur-1.
“There is no plan to hand over Chattogram Port to any foreign operator,” he said.
The minister clarified that under approved frameworks, including public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements, operators may be appointed only for the management of specific terminals. He said both local and foreign companies are eligible for such roles.
He added that, in line with ongoing modernisation and rising import-export volumes, different terminals of the port are being operated by both domestic and international operators to increase capacity.
Shaikh Rabiul Alam noted that the Patenga Container Terminal is currently being operated by a foreign company. He also said an agreement has been signed under the PPP model with APM Terminals BV, a subsidiary of Denmark’s Maersk Group, for the construction and operation of the Laldia Container Terminal on the right bank of the Karnaphuli River.
He said Chattogram Port operates as an autonomous entity under the Chattogram Port Authority Act 2022, managed by a chairman and board along with its officials and employees.
The minister added that the authority functions in line with government policies and directives issued from time to time.
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