Laldia Terminal will lead to Ctg’s rise as regional logistics hub: Khosru

The Laldia Container Terminal will open a new horizon for logistics, trade facilitation and economic development in Bangladesh, laying the foundation for Chattogram to emerge as a regional logistics hub, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said today (30 August).

The project would be a milestone in the government's ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2034, he said at the groundbreaking ceremony of APM Terminals Laldia at Laldia Char in Patenga, Chattogram.

"The importance of the Laldia terminal is that it will open a new horizon in logistics, trade facilitation and the development of this region and Bangladesh," the finance minister said.

He said several other ports and logistics facilities are planned in Chattogram, along with free trade zones and additional export processing zones.

"Chattogram has long been expected to become the commercial capital. A commercial capital cannot simply be declared. It has to emerge through economic activities," he said.

At the event, Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said the project would take Bangladesh into a new era of investment, technology and modern terminal operations.

"The expansion of import and export will become more international-standard. From that perspective, today's event is certainly good news for the nation and the country," he said.

The Laldia terminal will also help Bangladesh build expertise in modern container-terminal operations and advanced port technologies, he added.

The terminal is being developed under a public-private partnership with Danish company APM Terminals, a member of the AP Moller-Maersk Group.

The finance minister said the investment reflected growing confidence among major international companies in Bangladesh's economy.

Chattogram Port handles around 92% of Bangladesh's import-export trade, making its modernisation crucial to expanding the country's commerce, he said.

Terminal to handle nearly 1m containers a year

Romesh David, CEO of APM Terminals Laldia, said the terminal is expected to become one of the world's most advanced container facilities within three years.

The terminal will have around 600 metres of quay, seven ship-to-shore gantry cranes, 30 remotely operated gantry cranes and about 45 electric trucks, he said.

Once fully operational, it is expected to handle around 1 million containers annually, raising Bangladesh's current container-handling capacity by about 30%. At nearly $600 million, the project is the largest investment in Bangladesh's port sector to date, David said.

It is also Bangladesh's first port-sector public-private partnership involving foreign direct investment and its first greenfield port project of its kind.

The terminal will create opportunities for new shipping services and larger vessels, potentially boosting exports and generating an economic multiplier significantly greater than the investment, David said.

"This will not only be the best port in South Asia, but also the best port in our class in the world," he said.

The facility is planned as a zero-emission terminal, with electric equipment and other measures aimed at making operations carbon neutral.

The project is expected to create more than 500 direct jobs and at least another 500 indirect jobs, while increased capacity could generate further employment.

David said APM Terminals would train Bangladeshi workers in advanced port technologies and create opportunities for women to operate remotely controlled cranes. "We will create train operators who are women, and that will be a first in this country," he said.

APM Terminals also plans to remain engaged with communities around the project site throughout its 30-year involvement in the terminal, he added.