AsiaPorts and Logistics

Bangladesh starts building its largest port

The congested nature of Bangladeshi ports is set for some alleviation with the construction of a giant new port.

European engineering consultants Royal HaskoningDHV, in partnership with the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology, has been selected as master plan consultant for the Payra Deep Sea Port Development Project in the south Asian nation.

Payra Port will be the country’s third and largest sea port in Bangladesh and is being designed to add much needed port capacity as well as allow larger vessels to call at the facility, negating the need for transhipment to other ports such as Singapore and Colombo.

Chairman of Payra Sea Port Commodore M Jahangir Alam commented yesterday: “This port will be as essential link in the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and as such will have a great impact on the economic development of Bangladesh.”

Eric Smit, business development director maritime at Royal HaskoningDHV, said of the multi-million euro contract: “It’s rare to see greenfield port developments of this scale, and the new port will help the country achieve its growth ambitions and create greater economic growth, more jobs and new opportunities.”

The first phase of the greenfield port development comprises capital dredging works, which will be carried out by Belgium’s Jan de Nul under a PPP framework agreement, and the creation of two new port terminals.

The port, which is scheduled to be operational by 2022, will also have rail, road and waterway links to the capital, Dhaka.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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