Shipping adviser holds meeting on NCT management at Ctg port

Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain held a key meeting with senior officials of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) today (28 June) to discuss the upcoming management transition of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) under the port's own operation, starting 7 July.

The meeting took place at the port building and focused on preparations for managing NCT independently, prior to any final agreement with a foreign terminal operator, CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk told the Business Standard.

Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud and Lutfe Siddiqui, the special envoy of the chief adviser on International Affairs, were also present at the meeting.

Omar Faruk said, "The shipping adviser held discussions with port officials this morning. We plan to share details of the meeting through a press release."

According to CPA sources, the government decided in a 18 June meeting at the Ministry of Shipping to manage the NCT under CPA's direct control for now. This marks a significant shift in terminal operations.

The NCT, consisting of five jetties that can accommodate four ocean-going vessels and one inland waterway ship simultaneously, has been operated by Saif Powertech for the past 19 years.

Notably, only two of those years were under the Open Tender Method (OTM), while the remaining 17 years were managed through the Direct Procurement Method (DPM). The most recent six-month extension of that contract is set to expire on 6 July.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway to transfer operational responsibility to global operator DP World. The World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation (IFC) has been appointed as the transaction advisor for this transition.