State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has said, Payra port is the dream project of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She has built the seaport to develop the long-neglected southern region of Bangladesh. I am already witnessing a surge in the economic activities in this region brought about by this seaport.
Shipping minister said this while addressing a preparatory meeting of the Payra Seaport Authority as its Chair. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate some development projects at Payra Seaport on Thursday to equip it with better facilities for smooth operations.
The projects include capital dredging of the port, inauguration of eight ships and vessels, inauguration of the first terminal and construction of a six-lane approach road and bridge. The meeting was informed that the port has already earned a revenue of BDT 548 crore by handling 236 ocean going ships.
Muhibur Rahman Muhib, Member of Parliament (MP) from Patuakhali-4 constituency, Chairman of Payra Port Authority Rear Admiral M Sohael, joint secretary of shipping ministry Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Khan, board member Commodore Mamunur Rashid, Commodore Rajib Tripura and Captain Moniruzzaman were also present at the meeting.
Through the dredging of the seaport’s Rabnabad Channel, a 75km-long, 100-125metre-wide and 10.5metre-deep channel will be created. Once operational, a total of 40,000 tonnes of cargo or 3000 container-laden ships will be able to dock. The channel will cost an estimated BDT 5,000 crore and will be built by Belgian dredging Company- Jan De Nul.
Among the eight vessels to be inaugurated on Thursday, two are pilot vessels, two are heavy duty speedboats, one is a buoy laying vessel, one is a survey boat and two are tugboats. These ships and vessels will help the port authority to monitor the arrival and departure of foreign ships and maintain the channel.
Once the construction of the first terminal, the six-lane highway and the bridge are completed, a total of three foreign ships carrying containers of bulk cargo will be able to dock simultaneously at the Payra Seaport. The terminal will cost Tk 4517 crore and will be open for operation in December, 2023.
A 6.35km-long, six-lane approach road is being built by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD). The construction will cost Tk 655 crore and will be opened to traffic in December, 2023. A 1,180-metre-long bridge is being built over the Andharmanik river to transport goods to the Payra Seaport. The bridge will cost Tk 780 crore and will be constructed over a period of two and a half years.
