Govt has no plan to hand over Ctg Port to any foreign operator: Minister

Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam today (22 April) told
parliament that the government has no plan to hand over the country's prime
seaport, Chattogram Port, to any foreign operator.
"There is no plan to hand over
Chattogram Port to any foreign operator," the minister categorically said
while responding to a starred tabled question from treasury bench member Md
Shahadat Hossain (Laxmipur-1) in the House.
He clarified that under approved
frameworks, including Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement; operators
may be appointed solely for the management of specific port terminals. "In
such cases, both local and foreign operators are considered eligible," he
said.
The minister noted that, in line with ongoing modernization
and the growing volume of the country's import-export trade, different
terminals of the port are being operated by both domestic and international
operators to enhance capacity.
He mentioned that the Patenga
Container Terminal (PCT) is currently being operated by a foreign
operator.
In addition, a deal has been signed
under the PPP model with APM Terminals BV, a subsidiary of Denmark-based Maersk
Group, for the construction and operation of the Laldia Container Terminal on
the right bank of the Karnaphuli River.
Rabiul further said that Chattogram
Port is an autonomous entity being operated under the Chattogram Port Authority
Act, 2022, led by a chairman and a board, along with its officials and
employees.
The authority functions in accordance with government policies and directives
issued from time to time, he said.
















