Govt to appoint int’l operator for New Mooring terminal
The government is going to appoint an international operator to run New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of the Chattogram port.
The cabinet committee on economic affairs in a meeting yesterday approved a proposal of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) in this regard.
The committee approved implementing the CPA's proposal regarding appointment of an international standard private operator for operation and maintenance of New Mooring Container Terminal and Overflow Container Yard as per the Procurement Guidelines for Public Private Partnership Project, 2018.
The government is currently in talks with Dubai-based global terminal operator DP World to run the NCT.
Two years back the Dubai-based company expressed interest to invest $1 billion in port construction and management, container terminals and the container supply chain infrastructure of Bangladesh.
In January 2020, DP World submitted a formal proposal to the government focusing on the Chattogram port's management and container terminal.
In August last year a delegation led by Rizwan Soomer, the chief executive officer of DP World's Subcontinent, met State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and expressed their interest in the Chattogram port and its bay-terminal operations and integrated logistics support.
Rizwan Soomer visited the country last week and again met the state minister at his office on March 19.
Contacted, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said DP World has sent proposals showing interest to run NCT, the proposed Bay Terminal as well as Patenga Container Terminal.
There is still a long way to go, he said, adding that the proposal would now be placed with the PPP Authority which would appoint an international transaction adviser.
The international transaction adviser would formulate a business case and financial model and then prepare a request for proposal, said Shahjahan.
Based on reports from the transaction advisor, the CPA would go into negotiations with the interested firms, he said.
On whether only foreign operators would be eligible to send proposals, the CPA chairman said the firm should be a firm of an international standard.
If local firms have experience in operating port terminals in different countries, they will also take part in the negotiations, he said.
Currently no local firm has such eligibility.
The CPA chairman said it had heard that some local firms were also trying to run such operations abroad and there was still time for completing all the procedures for the appointment.
Local firm Saif Powertec is currently operating NCT.
Construction of the terminal having five jetties was completed in 2007 while Saif Powertec Ltd has been operating two jetties -- No 2 and 3 -- of the terminal since May 2007 on an ad hoc basis.
The CPA through two separate tenders appointed Saif Powertec Limited as an operator for NCT jetty No 2 and 3 and Saif Powertec Ltd's joint venture with two other firms -- A&J Traders and M/s MH Chowdhury Limited -- as operator for jetty No 4 and 5.
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