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Amid ongoing protests and warnings of shutting down operations at Chattogram Port, the much-discussed concession agreement to hand over the operations of New-mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to Dubai-based entity DP World is set to be signed today.
Shipping Secretary Zakaria confirmed the matter to the Daily Sun over phone on Wednesday.
He said the agreement would be signed at the auditorium of Invest Bangladesh at 3pm, with Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam expected to attend.
The Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) and DP World will sign the government-to-government concession deal under the public-private partnership (PPP) framework, said the secretary.
Asked about the ongoing protests against the deal, the secretary said they would take decisions considering the situation.
Meanwhile, the agitating Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Chattogram Bandar unit-led Chattogram Port Protection Movement Council Co-Coordinator Humyun Kabir said they were aware of the scheduled signing.
“We will take decisions after discussing with the leaders of the movement soon,” he said.
They also brought out a torch procession from the Port Building to press home their demand on Wednesday evening.
In addition to the council, Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) and Port Protection Committee have been observing different protest programmes demanding an end to leasing the NCT since the beginning.
Earlier on Monday, the worker leaders threatened to shut down operations at Chattogram Port up to Kutubdia if the government signs any agreement to hand over the NCT to a foreign entity.
They issued the warning from a sit-in programme organised by the Port Protection Committee in front of the port’s administrative building, protesting the government’s move to hand over the NCT and Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) to the international operator.
Asked about the workers’ concerns over possible job losses, Shipping Secretary Zakaria said the fear was based on a misconception.
“The list of registered workers has been included in the deal and the new operator will have to engage them,” he said, adding that discussion with protesters would continue.
“The workers will now work under the foreign organisation and gain skills,” he said.
“The new operator will invest at the terminal and reduce the vessels’ waiting time by 50%, creating benefits for businesses and the people of the country,” said the secretary.
“The port performance will increase significantly, bringing the country to a new height of global competitiveness,” Zakaria hoped.
On the other hand, the protesting port workers, civil society groups and other organisations argue that the NCT, which handles around 44% of the port’s total container traffic, is strategically important to the country’s economy and that the agreement should be made public before any final decision.
They also observed that the terminal, developed around 19 years ago, already has the necessary infrastructure and equipment, and greenfield projects such as the Laldia Container Terminal could instead be considered for foreign investors and operators.
Notably, the government gave in-principle approval to a draft concession agreement for handing over the operation and maintenance of the NCT and Overflow Container Yard (OCY) to an international terminal operator for 15 years.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recommended the approval at a meeting at the Secretariat on 1 October.
The project, titled “Operation and Maintenance of CPA’s New-mooring Container Terminal (NCT) including Overflow Yard (OCY),” is being implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.
It was initially approved in principle by the cabinet committee on 23 March 2023, during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.
In 2023, Saudi Arabian firm RSGT was given responsibility for operating the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT), while the process of bringing DP World in as operator of the NCT also moved forward.
The interim government stepped back from the NCT leasing plan on 8 February, three days before this year’s national election, following a nine-day strike that disrupted the country’s international trade.
After the new government took office, the issue returned to the agenda at the fourth meeting of the Bangladesh-Dubai Joint Public-Private Partnership Platform on 8 April.