PM to launch Tk4,068cr Mongla Port project

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will lay the foundation stone of a Tk 4,068 crore project to expand and modernise Mongla Port in Khulna today, as Bangladesh seeks to deepen cooperation with China in infrastructure, transport connectivity and industrial investment.

The project, titled “Expansion and Modernisation of Facilities of Mongla Port”, aims to increase the capacity of the country's second-largest seaport and expand its trade and logistics operations.

The development comes as the government seeks greater Chinese investment in major infrastructure and industrial projects. A high-level delegation of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), led by Chairman Dai Hegen, is scheduled to meet the prime minister today to discuss infrastructure development, industrial investment, special economic zones and employment generation.

Representatives of Invest Bangladesh will also attend the meeting, where a memorandum of understanding on investment cooperation is expected to be signed between the agency and CRCC.

Earlier, Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam met the CRCC chairman to discuss bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, investment and transport connectivity.

The minister said the government was prioritising transport network modernisation, port capacity expansion and investment-friendly infrastructure, urging CRCC to increase its long-term investments and partnerships in Bangladesh.

The CRCC chairman reaffirmed the company's commitment to supporting Bangladesh's infrastructure development and expressed interest in expanding its investments and operations in the country.

The meeting also discussed the proposed Mongla Port Economic Park, strategic highways and bridges, railway connectivity and potential investments under the public-private partnership framework.

The Mongla Port project is being implemented by the Mongla Port Authority (MPA) under the Ministry of Shipping through joint financing from Bangladesh and China.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a subsidiary of state-owned CRCC, has been appointed as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. 

The Chinese government is providing around $335.78 million in concessional loans for the project through the Export-Import Bank of China.

The project includes constructing two modern container jetties with a combined length of 368 metres alongside modern cargo-handling equipment and supporting infrastructure.

The facilities will enable the port to handle around 394,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers annually. The project also includes an 87,600-square-metre loaded container yard, a 34,170-square-metre empty container yard and a 4,260-square-metre dangerous goods handling yard.

A framework agreement for project financing was signed between the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division (ERD) during the prime minister's visit to China on June 25.

A loan agreement worth 2.404 billion Chinese yuan, equivalent to approximately Tk3,593 crore, was subsequently signed with the Export-Import Bank of China on October 10.

The project is expected to increase the port's cargo and container-handling capacity, strengthen maritime trade and improve international connectivity. It is also expected to attract industrial investment, generate employment and expand economic activities in the southwestern region.

Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam, State Minister for Shipping and Bridges Md Rajib Ahsan, Shipping Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan, senior government officials and representatives of the Chinese embassy, CRCC and CCECC are expected to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony.

The prime minister is scheduled to visit Mongla on November 5, two weeks after his previous visit to the region on 22 October.

PM to inaugurate Notun Kuri Sports

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is also expected to inaugurate the second season of the nationwide Notun Kuri Sports initiative in Khulna, reports BSS.

He will leave Dhaka by helicopter for Mongla at 9am and travel by road to Khulna after completing two scheduled programmes there, said the Prime Minister's Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.

During the visit, he will also visit the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali in Bagerhat town.

In Khulna, he will inaugurate the sports programme at the district stadium. Organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the initiative aims to identify sporting talents at the grassroots level.