PM to inaugurate Matarbari channel, lays foundation of port Saturday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Matarbari deep-sea port channel at Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar on Saturday (November 11). She will also lay the foundation stone of the first terminal of the new seaport the same day.

On Thursday, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, state minister for shipping, visited Matarbari preparatory to the inauguration. He said, "Matarbari seaport is a new horizon of development for the economy of Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina introduced Matarbari to the entire nation. Now, the world knows that Matarbari is a deep-sea port of Bangladesh."

"The port will not only strengthen the economy, it will become a symbol of moving forward with friendly neighbouring countries who can take advantage of this facility," Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury added.

The state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Ltd handed over the responsibility of the channel to the CPA on 20 September 2022. The CPA has full control of the channel, collects port dues and berth hire charges, piloting, tug charges, berthing and other charges.

The port is scheduled to start its operations in 2026 to reduce pressure on Chattogram port. The port was originally built for Matarbari coal-fired power plant. Later, the government decided to turn it into a deep-sea port.

Work on the project at a cost of Tk 177.75 billion began on 16 November 2020. The container terminal will be built on 18 hectares, and have an annual capacity of 600,000 to 1.1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).

Later, the terminal will be expanded up to 70 hectares, with 1,850 metres and have a 2.8 million TEU capacity. In the first stage, 300-metre multipurpose terminal and one 460-metre container terminal are planned to be constructed by 2026. The navigation channel will be 350 metres long with a maximum permissible draught of 16 metres.