Brig Gen (retd) M Shakhawat Hussain, the Port and Shipping Adviser of Bangladesh, visited Matarbari and stated that the first phase of the Matarbari Deep Sea Port will be operational in 2029.
The adviser also went to the most significant development projects constructed in Cox’s Bazar’s Moheshkhali upazila.
The projects comprise a 1200 MW coal-fired power plant, an LNG terminal, a single point mooring (SPM), and the recently constructed Deep Sea port break water canal.
In the meantime, the Matarbari Deep Sea Port has been chosen by the interim administration as one of the nation’s major initiatives to improve trade connections.
Bangladesh is undergoing economic transformation by improving its trade ties with the rest of the globe through the construction of its first deep sea port. The Matarbari Deep Sea Port, which is now being built, is extremely important strategically for Bangladesh.
In this regard, the Matarbari Port Development was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), albeit after two revisions and at an extra expense of Tk 6,573.96 million.
For the first time, the interim administration has approved a large project. There are geopolitical dimensions to the project as well. Additionally, the first and only deep sea port project in the nation has been given a three-year extension, ending in December 2029.
It might be the transitional government’s sole “major infrastructure project.”
There are two parts to this project. Building a new port together with a new port access road under Chattogram Port. The Cox’s Bazar district’s Chakaria and Moheskhali Upazilas are where the new road component is being constructed.
Mother vessels with a draft of about 16 meters will be able to berth in the projected deep-sea port. Right now, ships with a 9-meter draft can berth in the Chattogram Port jetties.