Chattogram Port, the country’s prime gateway is undergoing one of the most significant periods of operational and structural change in its recent history, with record cargo handling, new terminal construction, proposed changes in terminal operations and an accelerated drive towards digitalisation reshaping the country’s principal maritime gateway.
The port handled a record ‘3.52 million TEUs of containers in fiscal 2025-26’, up 6.76 percent from the previous fiscal year. Cargo throughput reached a record ‘137.74 million tonnes’, while vessel calls increased to 4,324. The port’s revenue also climbed to ‘Tk6,629 crore’, compared with Tk5,366 crore a year earlier. Average turnaround time for container vessels improved to 2.38 days from 2.58 days.
The growth has continued into 2026. During the first seven months of the year, the port handled ‘2.144 million TEUs’ , compared with 2.041 million TEUs during the same period in 2025. Vessel handling also rose to 2,635 from 2,588.
Major terminal expansion
The biggest long-term development is the government’s push to expand capacity through new terminals.
Construction of the ‘Laldia Container Terminal’ began on August 30 on 49.15 acres at Laldia Char on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli. The greenfield terminal is planned to handle about ‘800,000 TEUs annually’, adding substantial new capacity to the port
At the same time, the ‘Bay Terminal’ project is moving through its preparatory phase. The project includes major marine infrastructure, including a breakwater and channel development, with the government targeting terminal operations around 2030. Completion of the breakwater design is considered a key step before attracting private investors and beginning terminal construction.
The government has identified ‘Laldia Container Terminal, the appointment of an international operator for the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), and the Bay Terminal’ as three major projects that will reshape Chattogram Port.
NCT operation remains contentious
The proposed future operation of the ‘New Mooring Container Terminal’, the port’s most important container facility, remains a major issue.
Dubai-based ‘DP World’ is in negotiations over operating NCT under a public-private partnership arrangement. The Chattogram Port Authority formed a 12-member support team in June to provide technical, operational and administrative assistance to the negotiation committee.
The proposal, however, has faced opposition from sections of port workers. The Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad announced fresh protest programmes in September against the proposed involvement of DP World, arguing that NCT should remain under local operation. These are positions expressed by the workers’ organisation and should be distinguished from the government’s position on the proposed arrangement.
The competition for terminal operations has also widened, with Saudi Arabia’s ‘Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT)’ and local MGH Group expressing interest in operating facilities at the port.
Patenga terminal expands capacity
The ‘Patenga Container Terminal’, operated by Saudi Arabia’s RSGT under a 22-year concession, has also entered a new stage.
Four ship-to-shore cranes costing about ‘$30 million’ arrived at the terminal in June and were being installed and commissioned to allow larger vessels to berth and improve berth productivity. RSGT has committed around ‘$170 million ‘ to modernise the facility through infrastructure, equipment, technology and workforce development, according to company officials.
The development is significant because Patenga represents one of the first major examples of an international private operator taking a long-term role in Chattogram Port’s container-handling operations.
‘ Push for a paperless smart port’
Alongside physical expansion, the CPA is moving rapidly to digitise port services.
On September 23, the authority announced ‘six initiatives’ aimed at making services faster, more transparent and less dependent on manual procedures. Container and consignee bills are to be generated and collected through the Terminal Operating System, while online payments, e-gate passes and automated gate-in and gate-out operations are being expanded.
The new system will also introduce time-slot management, online cart tickets, e-gate challans, vessel e-NOCs and automated payment recovery for unpaid port charges. Integration with NBR/Customs is planned for auction deliveries, while break-bulk operations will gradually be brought online.
The CPA has set a target of transforming Chattogram Port into a ‘fully paperless and smart port by December 2026’.
Record productivity, but capacity pressure remains
The port’s recent performance demonstrates both its growing importance and the pressure being placed on existing infrastructure.
In August, the port achieved a new export-loading record when the ‘Maersk Bantulu’ loaded ‘933 export-laden containers, equivalent to 1,784 TEUs, at General Cargo Berth No. 11. Including empty containers, the vessel loaded 1,077 containers or 1,931 TEUs.
Yet weather-related disruptions in July showed the vulnerability of the existing system. Five days of heavy rain and rough seas reduced cargo handling substantially, with more than 60 vessels reportedly stranded at outer anchorage at one point. Daily container handling fell to 4,797 TEUs on July 7, against a normal level of roughly 9,000-11,000 TEUs.
The contrast underlines the challenge facing the port: ‘trade volumes are growing faster, while climate exposure, limited capacity, navigation constraints and dependence on interconnected road, rail and customs systems remain major operational risks.’
A strategic transition
Chattogram Port retained the ‘68th position among the world’s top 100 container ports’ in the latest Lloyd’s List ranking, based on 2025 throughput of 3.409 million TEUs.
The port’s current transformation therefore goes beyond simply handling more containers. Laldia, Bay Terminal and Patenga are expanding the physical capacity; the NCT debate is opening a wider discussion about terminal management; and digitalisation is changing how cargo, trucks, payments and documentation move through the port.
The immediate challenge will be to ensure that these separate initiatives develop into an integrated system capable of handling Bangladesh’s rapidly expanding trade while reducing vessel waiting, cargo dwell time, congestion and vulnerability to weather disruptions.
