C T Online Desk: The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) yesterday signed two agreements to outsource the operations of Laldia Container Terminal and the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal to two foreign companies, a move it says will bring world-class technology, efficiency, and global best practices to Bangladesh’s port system.
In the morning, CPA signed a 30-year deal with Danish APM Terminals for the development and operation of Laldia terminal in the upper estuary of the Karnaphuli river. It also signed a 22-year concession agreement with Switzerland-based logistics firm Medlog SA to manage and operate the Pangaon terminal on the Buriganga in Keraniganj.
Under the Laldia agreement, APM Terminals will design, finance, build, and operate the new terminal, with a possible 15-year extension based on performance.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at a hotel in Dhaka, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman said the terminal is crucial for meeting rising cargo demand.
“We are seeing 11 percent annual growth, and by 2030, we must handle an additional 1.5 million TEUs. This terminal is arriving at a time when we urgently need both capacity and efficiency,” he said.
The event was chaired by Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) CEO Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun.
LCT is the country’s first port-sector PPP project between the governments of Bangladesh and Denmark. Once operational, it is expected to handle more than 800,000 TEUs annually, easing congestion at existing Chattogram terminals.
Robert Maersk Uggla, chairman of AP Moller–Maersk, which owns APM Terminals, said, “Together, we are not merely building a terminal, we’re building a gateway to Bangladesh’s next era of trade growth and prosperity.”
“This is more than infrastructure, it’s a shared vision,” said Lina Gandløse Hansen, state secretary for trade and investment at Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a recorded message, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the project a milestone in bilateral ties.
The project represents the largest-ever European equity investment in Bangladesh. APM Terminals is expected to bring in about US$550 million in foreign direct investment for the terminal’s construction.
PPPA CEO Ashik Chowdhury said the project shows Bangladesh’s readiness to implement complex PPPs. “Laldia is not where our voyage ends, it’s where we set sail,” he said.
Under the agreement, APM Terminals will complete construction within three years and operate the terminal for 30 years. The facility will run 24/7, accommodate larger vessels, reduce logistics costs, speed up cargo delivery, attract new inland logistics investment, and create 500–700 direct jobs and thousands more indirectly. The terminal is expected to be commissioned by 2030.
The signing comes amid protests from several organisations against the government’s plan to lease out key Chattogram port terminals to foreign operators.
Hefazat-e-Islam yesterday opposed the move, saying management by a foreign entity of such an important port would threaten national interests and security.
“We want to state clearly that under no circumstances can the control of Chattogram port be handed over to any foreign company,” it said.
“We strongly reject any attempt to transfer the country’s strategic assets through secret discussions or agreements without the knowledge of the people.”
Meanwhile, under the separate agreement for Pangaon, Medlog SA, a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), will expand the terminal to support growing regional trade.
CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman and MEDLOG Bangladesh Managing Director ATM Anisul Millat signed the agreement.
Millat said the project, leveraging MEDLOG’s operational expertise and technology, would stimulate trade, strengthen supply chain resilience, and elevate Bangladesh’s logistics sector to a globally competitive level.
The terminal’s annual handling capacity is expected to increase by 160,000 TEUs. To strengthen multimodal transport, MEDLOG will charter inland barges from PICT to connect Pangaon with other river terminals and seaports, officials said.
