The Matarbari Deep Sea Port will open up a new horizon for international trade and serve as a strategic investment for Bangladesh’s future said Adviser to the ministries of shipping and labour and employment Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Tuesday.
"This is not merely an infrastructure project—it is a cornerstone for the country's long-term economic ambitions," he said while addressing a contract signing ceremony in the capital for the development of the Matarbari Port under Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), funded by JICA and CPA.
Once operational, the Matarbari Port will significantly boost the country's cargo handling capacity by accommodating large vessels of up to 100,000 DWT, ease congestion at existing ports, enhance supply chain efficiency, and ensure direct access to the emerging industrial zones in Cox’s Bazar and Maheshkhali, he said.
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Sakhawat also noted that the port is expected to help transform Bangladesh into a key energy and trans-shipment hub in the region.
Under Package 1 of the project, construction includes a 300-metre-long multi-purpose berth (for vessels up to 200m), a 460-metre container berth (for ships up to 350m), along with terminal buildings, pavements, retaining walls, sea walls, boundary walls, land development, dredging, land reclamation, emergency generators, solar power facilities, terminal utilities, and other ancillary civil and electrical works.
The terminal yard will feature around 5,100 ground slots for storing containers. With a 14.5-metre draft and the ability to berth container vessels of 300 metres in length and up to 8,200 TEUs, the port is projected to handle between 0.6 and 1.1 million TEUs annually by 2029, rising to an estimated 2.2 to 2.6 million TEUs by 2041.
Highlighting Japan’s support in the project, the adviser said, “The cooperation from the Government of Japan and JICA has been instrumental in turning the Matarbari vision into reality. Their technical expertise, financing, and capacity development contributions are deeply appreciated.”
The agreement was signed between Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, chairman of Chattogram Port Authority, and Tomokazu Hasegawa, General Manager of Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd.