Chittagong Port will be getting a new terminal after 14 years as the construction of the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) is almost complete. If everything goes according to plan, the PCT will be launched in July this year. Preparations are underway to launch the operations of the terminal. The new terminal will be able to load and unload containers from three cargo vessels simultaneously. In addition, goods can be unloaded from oil tankers at the Dolphin Jetty.
At a cost of around Tk 3,262 crore, the container terminal has been constructed on an area of 32 acres stretching from Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd to the Boat Club on the west bank of the Karnaphuli River. Three 600-meter long jetties, along with a 220-meter long Dolphin Jetty, have been constructed under the project. With the launch of this terminal, the annual container capacity of Chittagong Port will increase by 4,500 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit). At present, the main seaport of the country handles around 32 lakh containers. Some 1,12,000 square meters of the internal yard, as well as a container yard with a volume of 16 acres, have been dedicated for the terminal, where 4,500 TEUs can be kept at a time.
Due to the terminal’s proximity to the estuary, it will be possible to unload ships at Patenga Container Terminal in less time than the main jetty of the port. The three jetties of the terminal will be able to facilitate ships up to 190 meters in length at a time. The terminal was supposed to be launched on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis, but the Chittagong Port Authority is going to commence operations of the terminal next July for its own needs, which will later be allocated to private companies.
Modernization of the seaport will widen our gateway to international trade and business and bolster the regional stronghold of Bangladesh. Proper maintenance and corporate governance with political stability can lead Bangladesh in becoming the regional business hub.
