Singapore and Saudi Arabia are on the shortlist of Bay Terminal

Singapore and kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have been shortlisted by nine companies from six countries, including China, India and South Korea, which have expressed interest in the Chittagong Port Authority's (CPA) Bay Terminal construction project.

The two companies shortlisted for the project are The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT). Chubak confirmed that the shortlist had been made by the Prime Minister's Office.

According to port sources, the infrastructure of the Bay Terminal will be built on the coast of Halishahar, not far from the Patenga estuary. 800 meters from the shore the new port or bay terminal can be constructed by dredging a new channel created in the distant char and constructing a water breaking (water regulating) dam to prevent sea waves or storms.

If the project is implemented, a bay terminal of 6.15 km long and 600 m wide will be added to Chittagong port.

It will be possible to fill the mother vessel (large ship) with a draft of 10 to 12 meters.  The estimated cost of the project is 2.5 billion. The Bay Terminal will be constructed and operated through GTZ under Private-Public Partnership (PPP). The project is expected to be implemented by 2025.

At present, ships of 9 meter draft or depth can be loaded at Chittagong port only at high tide.  A maximum of 1,800 TEUs (Twenty Fit Equal Units) containers can be loaded on these draft vessels. 

The Bay Terminal, on the other hand, can handle 5,000 TEUS containers per ship.  This will make the activities of Chittagong port more dynamic and will reduce the waiting time of ships in the port.

Engineer Rafiul Alam, executive engineer of Chubak and spokesperson in charge of the project, said that there are many technical aspects in the implementation of the project from economic and technical point of view. This includes the details of investment, revenue sharing, duration of construction work, field of work and measurement. Also need a consultant. The process of hiring a consultant for the feasibility study is underway.

Asked how the two shortlisted companies would be hired, he said, "Nine companies from six countries, including China, India and South Korea, have expressed interest in implementing the Bay Terminal construction project and submitted letters of interest fulfilling their experience and capacity requirements."

The Prime Minister's Office has shortlisted PSA International in Singapore and RSGT in Saudi Arabia. 

However, the issue of awarding a construction contract or work order with them depends on our various conditions and the final agreement of both parties. 

After receiving the survey report, a memorandum meeting will be held with the two shortlisted organizations. Then the construction work of the bay terminal can be started.

On the other hand, a bay terminal is being constructed along the Chittagong-Fauzdarhat Marine Drive on the coast.

In this way, trucks, lorries and covered vans with imported and exported goods will be able to move directly to Dhaka-Chittagong by avoiding traffic jams in the city.  As a result, traders can save time and money and make a profit, so the stakeholders of the port are very interested in this bay terminal.

The new port will have 13 general jetties with rear facilities, 1 with a length of 1,500 meters, 1 with a length of 1,225 meters and 2 terminals equipped with modern equipment at a length of 830 meters.