A first
ship will dock at the brand new Patenga Container Terminal tomorrow, despite
the fact that the Chittagong Port Authority has yet to land an operator for the
facility.
With the
port, Bangladesh’s largest, already operating at full capacity and regularly
subject to congestion, the new 450,000 teu terminal cannot come soon enough. Construction has run into delays of more
than two years. Given the lack of a confirmed foreign operator, to begin
with the port authority has decided to prioritise geared ships to its new
terminal while it holds urgent negotiations with global terminal operators to
find someone willing to take on the lease. APM Terminals, Red Sea Gateway
Terminal and DP World are tipped to be in the running to win the concession.
The port
can currently accommodate ships with a maximum 9.5 m of draught and 190 m of
length.
The Patenga terminal will be able to
accommodate ships with 10.5 m of draught and 200 m of length.