The Chittagong Bay Terminal, a long-awaited project of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), has gained momentum with the appointment of two Korean consulting firms to prepare a detailed design and supervise construction.
According to the Shipping Ministry, the Korean firms Kunhwa Engineering and Consulting Company Limited and Dian Yang Construction and Engineering Company Limited are expected to submit the detailed design within three months. The government aims to start construction by January next year.
The CPA signed a deal with the Korean firms on the Bay Terminal project in Dhaka on Tuesday.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and senior officials of the ministry were present at the signing ceremony.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said: “We are optimistic about implementing the Chittagong Bay terminal project by December 2024, as the construction work will probably start at the beginning of next year, likely in January.”
He added that the Bay Terminal would operate at all hours, widening the scope of business operations.
According to the Shipping Ministry, the government will spend Tk126.497 crore on the preparation of the detailed design and for consultancy purposes. The cost of the entire Bay Terminal project is estimated to be around $2.1 billion.
According to officials, there are no bends in the Bay Terminal Channel and it will be possible to berth ships with a maximum carrying capacity of 6,000 TEUs in 10-12 m drafts.
CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said: “Initially, three terminals will be constructed under the Bay terminal project. The total length of the three terminals is 3.55 km.”
According to the Shipping Ministry, there will be a 1,225m container terminal, an 830m long container terminal, and a 1,500m multipurpose terminal.”
The CPA will be responsible for the construction and operation of the three terminals. The Bay Terminal will have a total of 13 jetties, including six at the multipurpose terminal alone.
The Bay Terminal will be connected to the port access road and the railway.
At present, the jetties of Chittagong port can accommodate ships with a maximum draft of 9.5 m and a length of 190m. Ships can navigate to the port twice a day, depending on the tide.
The Bay Terminal is located at North Halishahar, 6km west of Chittagong Port. The distance from the Bay Terminal to the outer anchorage is only one kilometre. The width of the channel is 800-1200m.
According to project officials, a five-kilometre-long breakwater will have to be constructed to protect the Bay Terminal from hostile weather and high waves.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
