The government has decided to appoint Netherlands-based APM Terminals BV, a subsidiary of Danish shipping giant Maersk Group, to build and operate the Laldia Container Terminal at Chattogram Port for 30 years under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement – marking the largest single European equity investment in Bangladesh to date.

The final concession agreement between the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and APM Terminals would be signed next week, under which the company will pay around Tk250 crore as a signing fee, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Ashik Chowdhury revealed at a press briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Wednesday. The total investment is estimated at $550 million (Tk6,700 crore), he added.

“This will be a world-class terminal where ships twice the current size will be able to dock,” Ashik told reporters, adding that once operational, the terminal’s efficiency would increase by 40% compared to existing facilities.

Major foreign investment and PPP structure

The Laldia Container Terminal (LCT) project will be developed under a PPP model, with APM Terminals and a local joint venture partner responsible for design, financing, construction, and operation, while the CPA will retain ownership of the facility.

Ashik Chowdhury explained that the Maersk subsidiary will act solely as the terminal operator, while all regulatory and oversight responsibilities will remain with Bangladeshi authorities.

“The project is expected to be completed within three years,” he added.

According to officials, the deal will significantly reduce the government’s capital expenditure burden while introducing world-class operational standards to Bangladesh’s principal seaport.

Boosting capacity and efficiency

Once completed – likely by 2030 – the Laldia terminal will add more than 800,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of annual container-handling capacity, representing a 44% increase over current levels.

The new facility will also support round-the-clock operations, including night navigation for ships of permissible length and draught, a first for Chattogram Port.

Officials say this will substantially improve the port’s efficiency and ease chronic congestion at existing terminals.

Revenue, employment, and wider impact

Under the revenue-sharing concession model, the CPA will receive USD-based income for every container handled, alongside tax revenues and fees from related marine services.

The project is expected to create 500-700 direct jobs and several thousand indirect employment opportunities in construction, logistics, trucking, warehousing, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Industry analysts describe the agreement as a landmark moment for Bangladesh’s port and logistics sector. The entry of a “marquee” global investor such as APM Terminals, they say, will not only strengthen confidence among international financiers but could also help attract greater foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country’s infrastructure, manufacturing, and trade logistics industries.

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