Laldia Container Terminal to break ground tomorrow with $550m foreign investment
A terminal will be developed on 49.15 acres of land along the Karnaphuli River.
The long-awaited Laldia Container Terminal at Chattogram Port is set to break ground tomorrow (30 August), marking the start of construction of Bangladesh's first fully foreign-invested container terminal.
The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 11am at Laldia Char in Patenga.
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is scheduled to attend the event as the chief guest.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam will attend as the special guest.
Netherlands-based APM Terminals BV, a unit of Danish shipping giant AP Møller–Maersk, will invest around $550 million to develop the terminal under a public-private partnership with the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA).
The project is expected to add more than 800,000 TEUs to the port's annual container-handling capacity, increasing its overall capacity by nearly 23%.
The terminal will be developed on 49.15 acres of land along the Karnaphuli River.
Of the total area, 32 acres will be used for the main terminal, 7.15 acres for the container yard and 10 acres for truck parking.
APM Terminals will develop and operate the facility under a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer model.
Construction is expected to take three years, while the operating concession will run for 30 years, with an option for a further 15-year extension.
Designed for larger vessels
Once operational, the Laldia terminal will be able to handle vessels carrying up to 6,000 TEUs, roughly double the capacity of ships that can currently berth directly at Chattogram Port.
The facility will have a 616-metre-long jetty, seven ship-to-shore cranes, 32 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes and 41 electric terminal tractors.
The use of electric equipment and modern cargo-handling technology is expected to support greener port operations.
The ability to accommodate larger vessels directly is also expected to reduce vessel waiting times and cargo turnaround times at the country's premier seaport.
$550m investment
APM Terminals plans to invest the $550 million over the first three years of the project for construction, equipment installation and related works.
Under the concession arrangement, the CPA will receive an upfront payment of $25 million, an annual concession fee of $250,000 and $21 for every container handled at the terminal.
The per-container fee will rise to $23 if annual container handling reaches 900,000 units.
The additional capacity is expected to ease pressure on existing facilities as container traffic through Chattogram Port continues to grow.
Deal signed in November 2025
The Laldia project has been in the pipeline for several years.
Bangladesh and Denmark signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2021 to facilitate cooperation on the project under the PPP framework.
The CPA and APM Terminals BV signed the concession agreement on 17 November 2025, paving the way for the development of the terminal through 100% foreign investment.
The terminal is expected to become fully operational by 2030.
Chattogram Chamber seeks more investment
Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mohammad Amirul Haque has thanked APM Terminals for investing in the Laldia Container Terminal, saying the project will strengthen Bangladesh's image as a safe and profitable destination for foreign investment.
In a letter sent to APM Terminals Chairman Robert Maersk Uggla on 29 August on behalf of the chamber's board of directors and the business community, Amirul Haque said the investment of around $750 million in the Laldia terminal would help attract further foreign direct investment (FDI) to Bangladesh.
"The far-reaching impact of the project will not be limited to the construction of a single terminal. The presence of one of the world's leading terminal operators in Bangladesh will play an effective role in attracting more foreign investment," he said.
He said APM Terminals' investment would further enhance Bangladesh's standing in the global investment community and demonstrate confidence in the country's economic potential.
Highlighting Chattogram's strategic geographical location, the chamber president urged APM Terminals and AP Moller-Maersk to consider larger infrastructure investments in Chattogram and elsewhere in Bangladesh.
He specifically called for investment in projects such as the Bay Terminal, shipbuilding and large-scale industrial ventures.
He also urged the companies to contribute to the government's goal of transforming Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034.
Congratulating AP Moller-Maersk and APM Terminals on the groundbreaking of the Laldia terminal, Amirul Haque assured them of the Chattogram Chamber's support for the successful and speedy implementation of the project.
