Bangladesh's first deep-sea port expected to start operation in 2016
Source: Xinhua
[08:43 July 16 2009]
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The first-phase construction on Bangladesh's first deep-sea port in the Bay of Bengal is expected to be completed in 2015 and its operation will begin in 2016, the country's Shipping Minister Mohammad Afsarul Amin said on Wednesday.
After a high-level meeting here on Wednesday, the minister told reporters that the government will start a three-phase construction of the proposed deep-sea port in the Bay of Bengal by the end of next year.
He said the proposed port will be established near Sonadia Island under the country's southeastern Cox's Bazar district, about 391 km away of capital Dhaka, at a cost of about 600 billion taka (about 8.57 billion US dollars).
"Together with the second and the final phases, the work is planned to end in 2055," he said,adding that the construction work of the second phase will start between 2016 and 2017.
The high-level meeting was held to discuss the study report of a Japanese consultant on technical and economic feasibility of the deep-sea port.
The minister said it will take one year to have a complete design of the port.
Amin earlier said the project would be implemented with public- private joint investment if necessary shares would be floated in the capital market.
Bangladesh's shipping ministry has taken the deep-sea port construction as a priority project to develop the entire region as a business hub.
The shipping minister said in the first phase, nine jetty- berths will be constructed at a cost of 130 billion taka (about 1. 86 billion US dollars).
The country's premier Chittagong Sea Port Authority Chairman Commodore RU Ahmed, who was also present at the meeting, said the consultant firm has prepared the draft report on the deep-sea port after hydrographic and other studies.
It was said in the meeting that the deep-sea port is expected to boost export-import trade and increase the country's GDP growth by 1.5 percent.
Global Times - Bangladesh's first deep-sea port expected to start operation in 2016