Bangladesh's premier Chattogram seaport registered a container volume of 3.1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2023, local English newspaper the Financial Express reported Thursday.

The figure was compared to those for container traffic handled at the main port in the South Asian country, at 2.9 million, 3.1 million, 2.8 million, 3.2 million and 3.1 million TEUs in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Despite impacts from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, the port in Chattogram city, some 242 km southeast of capital Dhaka, has demonstrated remarkable resilience, maintaining its upward trajectory in container volume, according to Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail.

He told journalists on Wednesday that the port "is on its way to becoming a smart and modern international seaport, serving the global community."

"Its strategic location and expansion plans, encompassing the deep seaport at Matarbari, Bay Terminal, Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) and New-mooring Container Terminal, position it to be one of the world's largest seaports," he said.

The CPA chairman said the service quality and capacity of Chattogram seaport are steadily increasing, in line with international standards. "We are continuously enhancing our service quality, expanding operational areas and developing new sea routes," he noted.

As part of the efforts to strengthen Bangladesh's energy security, plans are underway to construct a gas and oil terminal as the fourth terminal at the port, Sohail added.