Bangladesh, UAE Sign Deal, DP World to Manage Chattogram Port New Mooring Container Terminal.

Jahangir Alam, Staff Reporter. ​Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has officially awarded the operational and management responsibilities of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT)—one of the primary facilities at Bangladesh's main seaport—to Dubai-based global port operator DP World under a 15-year agreement. ​The signing ceremony took place on Thursday (October 8). Rear Admiral Moniruzzaman, Chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority, and Essa Kazim, Chairman of DP World, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. ​The event was attended by Minister for Shipping Sheikh Robiul Alam, State Minister Rajib Ahsan, UAE Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Ali Al Hamoudi, and Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Ashik Chowdhury, among other high-ranked officials. ​According to an official press release, the agreement is solely operational and managerial. The land, physical infrastructure, ownership, and sovereign control of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) will remain entirely with the Chittagong Port Authority. Existing security and administrative protocols by state agencies—including the Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Department of Immigration and Passports, and Bangladesh Customs—will continue unchanged. ​Currently, Chattogram Dry Dock Limited, operated by the Bangladesh Navy, handles terminal operations at NCT. They will maintain management of the facility until the formal handover process to DP World is completed. ​The initiative to engage DP World under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Government-to-Government (G2G) framework was initially launched during the Awami League administration. The process encountered temporary delays due to renegotiations and labor demonstrations during the interim government period, but resumed after the new administration assumed office. Following directives issued by the Ministry of Shipping in June, final negotiations were concluded, paving the way for the agreement. ​NCT is the largest and most critical among Chattogram Port’s four main container handling terminals. In the recently concluded fiscal year, the terminal handled approximately 1.385 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of containers, accounting for nearly 44 percent of the port’s total container volume. ​Among the port’s other three terminals, domestic operators currently manage the General Cargo Berth (GCB) and the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), while Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI) operates the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT).