Construction of Bangladesh’s first container terminal to be built entirely with foreign investment is set to begin at Laldiya Char in Patenga on the Karnaphuli River, Chattogram. An inauguration event is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Laldiya project site, with Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Bridges and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam expected to attend. Bangladesh and Denmark signed a memorandum of understanding for the $550 million project in June 2021.

Chattogram Port currently has four active container terminals. Laldiya will become its fifth terminal and is expected to add capacity to handle more than 800,000 containers annually. Its 616-metre jetty and 10-metre depth will allow container ships carrying up to about 6,000 TEUs to berth directly, more than double the port’s current vessel-capacity level.

The project covers about 49.15 acres, including a 32-acre main terminal, a 7.15-acre container yard, and roughly 10 acres for truck parking and pre-gate facilities. Plans include seven ship-to-shore cranes and 32 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes. Port authorities say foreign investment will bring jobs, modern management practices and technology. APM Terminals aims to develop the facility as a low-carbon, energy-efficient South Asian showcase project.