Laldia Terminal will lead to Ctg’s rise as regional logistics hub: FinMin

The Laldia Container Terminal will open new opportunities for logistics, trade facilitation and economic development, helping lay the foundation for Chattogram to emerge as a regional logistics hub, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said today (30 August).

Speaking as the chief guest at the groundbreaking ceremony of APM Terminals Laldia at Laldia Char in Patenga, Chattogram, he said the project would be a milestone in the government’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2034.

“The importance of the Laldia port is that it will open a new horizon in logistics, trade facilitation and the development of this region and Bangladesh,” the finance minister said.

He said several other ports and logistics facilities are planned in Chattogram, along with free trade zones and additional export processing zones.

“Chattogram has long been expected to become the commercial capital. A commercial capital cannot simply be declared. It has to emerge through economic activities,” he said.

Expanding port, logistics and industrial infrastructure would help unlock Chattogram’s economic potential and strengthen its contribution to the national economy, he added.

Shipping and Road Transport Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam, the guest of honour, described the groundbreaking as the beginning of a new chapter for Bangladesh’s port and logistics sector.

He said the project would take Bangladesh into a new era of investment, technology and modern terminal operations.

“The expansion of our import and export trade will become more international-standard. From that perspective, today’s event is certainly good news for the nation and the country,” he said.

The Laldia terminal will also help Bangladesh build expertise in modern container-terminal operations and advanced port technologies, the minister said.

“This project is not only economically important. It will also teach us how to use modern technology in container terminal handling and apply that knowledge to meet our country’s needs,” he added.

The terminal is being developed under a public-private partnership with Danish company APM Terminals, a member of the AP Moller-Maersk Group.

The finance minister said the investment reflected growing confidence among major international companies in Bangladesh’s economy.

Chattogram Port handles around 92% of Bangladesh’s import-export trade, making its modernisation crucial to expanding the country’s commerce, he said.

Terminal to handle nearly 1m containers a year

Romesh David, CEO of APM Terminals Laldia, said the terminal is expected to become one of the world’s most advanced container terminals within three years.

The facility will have around 600 metres of quay, seven ship-to-shore gantry cranes, 30 remotely operated gantry cranes and around 45 electric trucks, he said.

Once fully operational, the terminal is expected to handle close to 1 million containers annually, increasing Bangladesh’s current container-handling capacity by around 30%, David said.

“This is to date the largest investment in this country in the port sector,” he said, putting the investment at almost $600 million.

He said the project is Bangladesh’s first port-sector public-private partnership involving foreign direct investment and the country’s first greenfield port project of its kind.

David said the terminal would create opportunities for new shipping services and larger vessels, potentially boosting exports and generating an economic multiplier significantly larger than the investment itself.

The facility will aim to become a benchmark for modern container terminals globally, he said.

“It will not only be the best port in South Asia, but also the best port in our class in the world,” he said.

The terminal is planned as a zero-emission facility, with electric equipment and other measures aimed at making its operations carbon neutral, according to David.

The project is expected to create more than 500 direct jobs and another 500 or more indirect jobs. Increased terminal capacity is also expected to generate additional employment opportunities.

David said the company plans to train Bangladeshi workers in advanced port technologies and create opportunities for women to operate remotely controlled cranes.

“We will create train operators who are women, and that will be a first in this country,” he said.

APM Terminals also plans to remain engaged with communities around the project site throughout its 30-year involvement in the terminal, he added.

The ceremony was attended by Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Christian Brix Moller, representatives of the European Union and the Netherlands, Shipping Secretary Zakaria, Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman, senior government officials, business leaders, lawmakers and other stakeholders.