New Mooring Container Terminal to operate under Chattogram Port's own management

The Ministry of Shipping has decided in principle to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) under the direct management of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), ending the current arrangement with a private operator.

According to information from the CPA, the decision was made during a meeting held at the Ministry of Shipping last Wednesday (18 June).

Following the meeting, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman sent a letter last Thursday (19 June) to the senior secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, seeking approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for the proposed operational plan.

Confirming the matter to The Business Standard, Nasir Uddin, chief personnel officer and spokesperson for the CPA, said the letter detailed the plan to operate the NCT under CPA's own management after the existing private operator's term expires on 6 July.

The CPA Chairman mentioned in the letter that during the interim six-month period, the port authority would manage terminal operations directly, requiring an estimated Tk42 crore to cover expenses for quay gantry cranes, rubber-tyred gantry cranes, and other operational and IT equipment.

The estimated monthly expenditure is around Tk7 crore.

The letter also pointed out that to ensure uninterrupted port operations and maintain smooth import-export activities, it is essential to continue NCT operations without disruption.

Appointing a new private operator through an open tender process would take considerable time. Therefore, under Section 68 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2006, and in accordance with Rule 76(2) of the Public Procurement Rules (PPR) 2008, the CPA requested approval to apply the Direct Procurement Method (DPM) in this case of national interest and urgency.

The port authority is now seeking the Cabinet Committee's approval to implement this direct operational plan.

The port authority had sent a letter to the ministry seeking a decision on the renewal of the contract with the current operator of the New Mooring Terminal.

In that letter, a proposal was made to extend the contract with the existing operator for three more months. However, the Ministry of Shipping took a policy decision to operate the NCT under the port's own management.

The New Mooring Container Terminal was constructed in 2007 with an investment of Tk4,000 crore from CPA's own funds, along with the necessary handling equipment.