Staff Correspondent, Dhaka – Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam has highlighted various government initiatives aimed at increasing the container handling capacity and reducing the vessel turnaround time at Chittagong Port.
He stated that the overall port congestion could be completely eliminated once all container terminals become operational by 2030. Furthermore, with the launch of Patenga, Laldia, and Bay Terminal-2 and 3 operations, Chittagong Port will match the efficiency levels of Singapore and Colombo ports by 2029.
The Shipping Minister shared these details in the National Parliament on Wednesday, in response to a query from Shahgahan Chowdhury, Member of Parliament for the Chittagong-15 constituency. The parliamentary question-and-answer session was chaired by Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed.
Addressing the structural differences, the Shipping Minister explained that Colombo and Singapore are primarily transshipment ports, where containers are transferred from mother vessels to smaller feeder ships without requiring extensive customs examination or clearance.
In contrast, Chittagong Port operates as a feeder port, meaning all goods must go through mandatory customs checks and clearance procedures, which naturally leads to a longer turnaround time compared to transshipment hubs.
The minister added that nearly 100 percent of the import and export containers handled at Chittagong Port are directly linked to Bangladesh’s bilateral trade.
However, due to the continuous integration of modern machinery and upgraded port management systems, the average turnaround time for vessels has already dropped and is expected to decrease even further in the coming years.