The government is set to conduct a feasibility study with its own finance on the planned seaport at Payra, Kuakata, which it argues would contribute towards preserving the Sundarbans.

The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday approved a proposal to appoint London-based firm HR Wallingford to conduct the technofeasibility study of the proposed seaport. The consultancy fees will be Tk 18.37 crore.

At a roundtable on the Sundarbans on Saturday at The Daily Star Centre, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said the proposed seaport, which would be the country's third, would be used to bring in raw materials for Mongla-centred development sites, including the Rampal coal-based power plant.

Cargo vessels will travel from the Payra seaport to the site without traversing the Sundarbans, he added.

The decision to build a third seaport comes considering the country's future trade volume, highly expected to surge.

The objective of the project is to support sustainable economic growth by increasing the efficiency of waterborne transport, the shipping ministry said in a report.

The port, the work for which started in November last year, will be built under public-private partnership.

The country has also informally approached some countries alongside China and Japan for financing and a number of them responded positively, said planning ministry officials.

Meanwhile at the roundtable, Kamal said the government will try to complete the work on the Rampal power plant and Payra seaport simultaneously so that the coal for the power plant can be taken to the site through the seaport.

Kamal assured that environmental risks would be taken into consideration before implementing any development project in the area.