Bangladesh plans two container jetties at Mongla under Tk4,068 crore expansion

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to lay the foundation stone on 5 November for two dedicated container jetties at Mongla, the country’s second-largest seaport. The Tk4,068.23 crore project, financed by Bangladesh and China, is designed to give the new facilities an annual handling capacity of approximately 394,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Mongla currently handles containers at five jetties that also serve bulk cargo vessels. The port handled 29,700 TEUs in the 2025–26 financial year, up 38% from the previous year. Total cargo throughput rose 18% to 12.2 million tonnes, according to Mongla Port Authority (MPA) figures.

What will the new container terminal include?

The MPA, which is implementing the project under the Ministry of Shipping, plans to build Jetties 10 and 11 with a combined quay length of 368 metres. Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa, chairman of the port authority, said construction would begin after the foundation-stone ceremony.

The terminal design provides separate areas for laden containers, empty boxes and hazardous cargo. The largest yard, covering 87,600 square metres, will store laden containers. A further 34,170 square metres will be available for empty containers, and 4,260 square metres will be set aside for hazardous cargo handling.

The project includes 49 pieces of handling equipment. The port authority expects the new facilities to handle more than 30 containers an hour and projects that Mongla’s overall annual cargo-handling capacity will reach 15 million tonnes after the expansion.

How will Bangladesh and China finance the work?

The Export-Import Bank of China will provide a concessional loan of 2.404 billion yuan, equivalent to approximately Tk3,593 crore. Bangladesh will contribute about Tk475 crore. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

Bangladesh’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the project in February 2025. During Rahman’s visit to China on 25 June 2026, Bangladesh’s Economic Relations Division and the China International Development Cooperation Agency signed the financing framework. Bangladesh subsequently signed the loan agreement with the Chinese bank on 10 October.

What else is on the agenda at Mongla?

Invest Bangladesh and CRCC are expected to sign a separate memorandum of understanding on investment cooperation at Jetty No. 9 in the prime minister’s presence. The proposed agreement would give the Chinese company a framework for exploring projects in infrastructure and logistics, industry, energy, environmental services and skills development.

CRCC chairman Dai Hegen and Invest Bangladesh chairman Ashik Chowdhury are also scheduled to visit the 110-acre site proposed for the Bangladesh–China Mongla Economic Zone. The two countries signed a memorandum on development of the zone in Beijing on 25 June.

Alongside the planned investment ashore, vessel access remains an operational priority. Mongla lies roughly 100 kilometres inland, and the navigability of the Pashur Channel limits access to its berths. Under a separate five-year maintenance programme, the port authority plans to dredge 33.09 million cubic metres across sections of the channel. It expects the work to allow vessels drawing up to 9.5 metres to reach the jetties.