Thaindian News

Dhaka, Aug 16 (IANS) Bangladesh plans to upgrade Mongla, its second largest port, and to build a third sea port at Kuakata. The twin moves are aimed at providing greater sea access to neighbours India, Nepal and Bhutan.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has already been signed with David Wignal Associate, a Singapore-based private company. The upgradation of Mongla port to international standards could cost $3 billion, Mongla port authority chairman Commodore M. Faruk told United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency.

The project includes construction of international standard jetty, a power generation plant and a water treatment plant, industrial park and container terminal. It will ensure utilisation of port through transit trade with India, China, Nepal and Bhutan.

As per the agreement, all development work are scheduled to be completed by 2030.

The government has simultaneously started the groundwork for the country’s third seaport at Kuakata to facilitate India, Nepal and Bhutan to transit goods, The Daily Star newspaper said Monday.

Kuakata is currently a sea resort and tourist destination in Patuakhali district. It is located 320 km south of the national capital.

A technical committee that visited Kuakata last month and recommended the site for a port, submitted its report to the shipping ministry last week.

Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said everything will be finalised based on the technical report and added: “It’ll be a small port initially”.

A seaport in Kuakata will make movement of goods more convenient than through the ports at Chittagong and Mongla, the minister had said earlier.

Chittagong, Bangladesh’s prime seaport, handles about 90 percent of the maritime export-import trade with an average 10 percent yearly growth. The Mongla port handles the rest 10 percent of the trade.