Govt to sign deal with DP World on Thursday amid protests

Amid ongoing protests and warnings of a shutdown at Chattogram Port, the much-discussed deal to hand over operations of the New-mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to Dubai-based entity DP World is set to be signed on Thursday. 

Shipping Secretary Zakaria confirmed the matter to the Daily Sun over the phone on Wednesday afternoon. 

He said the agreement would be signed at the auditorium of Invest Bangladesh at 3pm.

Meanwhile, worker leaders on Monday threatened to shut down operations at Chattogram Port if the government signs any agreement to hand over the NCT to a foreign entity.

They issued the warning during a sit-in organised by the Port Protection Committee in front of the port's administrative building, protesting the government's move to hand over operations of the NCT and Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) to an international operator.

The government gave in-principle approval to a draft concession agreement for handing over the operation and maintenance of the NCT and Overflow Container Yard (OCY) to an international terminal operator for 15 years.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recommended the draft for approval at a meeting held at the secretariat on 1 October.

The project, titled “Operation and Maintenance of CPA’s New-mooring Container Terminal (NCT) including Overflow Container Yard (OCY),” is being implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

It was initially approved in principle by the cabinet committee on 23 March 2023, during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.

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In 2023, Saudi Arabian firm RSGT was given responsibility for operating the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT), while the process of bringing DP World in as the operator of the NCT also moved forward.

The interim government stepped back from the NCT leasing plan on 8 February, four days before this year’s national election, following a nine-day strike that disrupted the country’s international trade.

After the new government took office, the issue returned to the agenda at the fourth meeting of the Bangladesh-Dubai Joint Public-Private Partnership Platform on 8 April.

According to the PPP Authority’s project profile, the Chattogram Port Authority plans to award the government-to-government concession to DP World, nominated by the Government of Dubai, to upgrade, operate and maintain the NCT.