KHULNA, Oct 28, 2019 (BSS) – The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) has taken a
project titled “Mongla Port Modernization Project” with an estimated cost of
Taka 6,014 crore for increasing the capacity of the second largest seaport.
The works for infrastructural development of the Mongla port is expected
to begin during the beginning of next year, the MPA sources said.
Mongla Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral M Mozammel Haque said capacity
of the port will enhance manifolds on completion of the project.
Of the total project cost, Taka 1,840 crore will come from the Bangladesh
government while the Indian Government will provide Taka 4,174 crore as soft
loan (Lime of Credit).
The project includes expanding of two jetties with container facilities,
600-meter parking yard, a large multistoried garage for car parking, four
lanes six-km roads with drainage system, a shipyard, flyover purchasing of
survey and tag boats and modern machineries for handling cargoes and
containers and other facilities.
The government has taken a set of development projects for gearing up
import and export activities through the port.
The government has already collected a mobile harbor crane which began
activities for loading and unloading containers from ships on August this
year.
Mongla Port has already turned into a profitable and busy port with
enhancing facilities of foreign ship anchoring, cargo handling and exports
and imports in the last 10 years.
As many as 100 foreign ships were anchored in February, 2019, breaking all
previous records, Md Mostofa Kamal, director of MPA said.
Some 912 ships were anchored while 1.13 crore tonnes cargo were handled in
2018-2019 fiscal year, he added.
The Mongla Port, which was previously known as Chalna Port, was founded in
Mongla, Bagerhat in 1950.