It is high time that our maritime ports are modernized and brought up to international standards. The Ministry of Shipping has recently signed an agreement for the current fiscal year in order to develop the ports in our country. The agreement was signed between the ministry and the different authorities and organizations of the various sea and river ports.
According to the agreement signed, the first priority for current fiscal year would be to implement modern management, improve and conserve all ports, management, conservation and development of lighthouse and lanterns on coastal waterways, formulation, implementation and updating of laws and regulations relating to maritime ports and ensuring domestic water transport and safe navigation.
The government must invest in
development of new ports,
as well as improving facilities at
the ports that are currently in operation
Modern equipment and infrastructure in the ports will save money and time as the loading and unloading of cargo can be done more efficiently. Currently, more than half of the cargo is unloaded at the Chittagong port’s three main terminals which are working beyond their capacity and are in poor condition. On top of that the ports are regularly congested and goods take longer to arrive at their destination. The same is also true for other sea and river ports.
The ports in Chattogram, Mongla and Payra carry the lion’s share of the burden. The government had undertaken the development of two new ports in Matarbari and Sonadia in the hopes of lightening the load for these ports. However, Sonadia port development plans have been halted due to the complexity of the region’s geopolitics. The government must invest in development of new ports, as well as improve facilities at the ports that are currently operating.
The current state of the maritime ports is responsible for our slow GDP growth in the last few years. Without addressing this issue, Bangladesh cannot go ahead in the competitive global economy. Modernization of the maritime ports is a big step towards realizing the country’s trade potential.
