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“Leasing out NCT to a foreign operator would drain revenue from a fully operational terminal,” he claimed.

According to the CPA, the NCT generated Tk 1,216 crore in revenue in FY23, with net income after expenses amounting to Tk 574 crore. In the same period, Saif Powertec received Tk 79.13 crore as handling charges.

Jamaat-e-Islami city unit Ameer Shahjahan Chowdhury echoed Kabir’s concerns.

He said, “We are not against foreign investment. But bring foreign investment for greenfield projects, for new ports and terminals; not for an already established terminal.”

For the construction and operation of the proposed Bay Terminal and Laldia Container Terminal, the previous Awami League government started talks with global operators including PSA Singapore, DP World, AP Moller Maersk and Abu Dhabi Port.

In 2023, the previous government leased out the newly built Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) to Saudi firm Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) International for 22 years.

However, all those moves involving foreign companies did not face that much opposition.

Push for foreign investment

During a recent visit to the Chittagong Port, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun stressed the need for global operators to manage port facilities, citing efficiency and optimal utilisation as key to transforming Bangladesh into a global manufacturing hub.

“With limited land, we must ensure that every port facility operates as one of the world’s best,” he said. “Otherwise, we won’t achieve our ambitions.”

CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman also supported the move, saying that a global operator could introduce advanced technology and increase efficiency through competition.

“Appointing a foreign operator could maximise financial returns while modernising port operations,” he said.

After the NCT’s construction was completed in 2007, the CPA floated an international tender to appoint a foreign operator.

However, then shipping minister Shahjahan Khan and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Shipping Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury intervened, leading to the tender’s cancellation.

The CPA then opted to equip the terminal using its own funds and appointed a local operator.