DP World to take over Chittagong Port’s New Mooring Terminal despite protests
Mir Afroz Zaman
The government is set to sign a 15-year concession agreement with UAE-based DP World on Thursday (October 8) to hand over the operation and maintenance of Chittagong Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and Overflow Container Yard (OCY).
The signing ceremony is scheduled at the Investment Bangladesh Auditorium in Dhaka, following the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs' approval of the draft Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement on October 1.
The decision has sparked intense opposition from left-wing political parties, labor unions, security analysts, and civil society. Protesters, including the Chittagong Port Protection Committee and the Port Protection Sangram Parishad, staged sit-in programs on October 5, demanding the cancellation of the deal and warning of port shutdowns on October 8.
Opponents criticize the deal's lack of transparency and question the rationale behind leasing out the port’s largest and most profitable terminal—which handled 44% of the port's containers last year under state-owned Chittagong Drydock Limited (CDDL). Concerns have also been raised over potential revenue loss, national security, and foreign control over strategic infrastructure.
In response, the government and Chittagong Port Authority maintained that national interests are being fully prioritized and that foreign partnership will modernize port operations to international stProtests
