The works of Matarbari Port Development Project at a cost of Tk 17,775 crore began on 16 November, 2020.
Chairman of Chattogram Port Authority Rear Admiral SM Abul Kalam Azad disclosed this at a press briefing, after the first meeting with Nippon Koei, a Japanese consultant for the Matarbari Port Development Project, on Bandar Bhaban premises in the port city.
He said that the Matarbari port, first ever deep-sea port of the country, will be operational by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026 and it will boost trade through the Chattogram port.
Earlier, the government appointed Nippon Koei through a contract, to provide consultancy services for the construction of a deep-sea port to handle its growing external trade.
The firm will work on details design, tender assistance, and construction supervision for marine and civil works of the JICA-funded proposed deep seaport at Matarbari area in south-eastern Bangladesh. In the next phase, the container terminal will be expanded to 70 hectares, with a 1,850-metre berth, and handle 2.8 million TEUs per year.
The port chairman said that the deep seaport will have a 16-metre water draft and it will be able to accommodate 8,500 TEU post-Panamax vessels, lessening Bangladesh’s dependence on the feeder vessels to ferry export-import goods from different foreign ports.
