World Bank technical delegation to visit Ctg port Bay Terminal project
The government has approved the appointment of four German firms as consultants for channel dredging and breakwater construction work for the Bay Terminal project
A technical delegation of the World Bank, which will provide a Tk4,000 crore loan for the Bay Terminal project of Chattogram port, will visit the project site from 4 to 12 September.
The government has already decided to appoint four German firms – Sellhorn, WSP, KS and Aqua – as consultants for channel dredging and breakwater construction work for the Bay Terminal project.
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, presided over by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, approved the appointment of the four consultants on 31 August.
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Chattogram Port Authority Chairman, Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, told The Business Standard (TBS), "The appointment of consultants for breakwater construction and channel dredging is a major advancement in the Bay Terminal project. We will sign a deal with them soon. The work will require around Tk4,000 crore, which will be provided by the World Bank."
Three terminals will be built under the Bay Terminal project – one with the financing of Chattogram port, and the other two with foreign investment under public-private partnership (PPP).
Kunhwa Engineering and Consulting Co Ltd and Dian Yang Construction and Engineering Company Limited, which are supervising the construction of the terminal funded by the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), have already submitted the inception report.
Regarding that terminal, Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said, "We will hold a meeting of stakeholders on 20-21 September. After that, the tender process for the project will start. This is a major progress of the Bay Terminal project too."
The port authority has also appointed consulting firm Ernst and Young as transaction advisor for the two terminals that are being built with foreign investment. It is working with DP World and PSA Singapore to prepare a business model for operating the terminals.
They will develop the business model that will outline the Bay Terminal's construction process, the share of dividends for foreign investors, and the lease period, said the port chairman.
Currently, ships over 9.5 metres in depth and 190 metres in length cannot enter Chattogram Port. The new Bay Terminal will be able to accommodate ships up to 12 metres deep and 260 metres long. There will be no need to depend on high tide to berth the ships.
Upon implementing the project, it will be possible to berth a ship with 6,000 containers while the current port jetty can only accommodate ships with a maximum capacity of 1,800 containers.
The Bay Terminal will be built on about 2,500 acres of land, including 871 acres of privately owned and government land, and another 1,600 acres that emerged from the sea.
