Port of Bangladesh

Bangladesh destination for sea transport

Chittagong is the most important port city in Bangladesh. About 92% of Bangladesh's import-export trade is carried out in the port of Chittagong. This makes the port of Chittagong extremely important for the national economy of Bangladesh. The local port authority, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), is responsible for the coordination of operations there. Chittagong Port is located on the right bank of the Karnaphuli Patenga River, some nine nautical miles off the coastline of the Bay of Bengal. It is a deep-water seaport where container trade dominates. Products such as clothing, jute, leather, tobacco, fertilisers, seafood and various raw materials are transhipped in large quantities. Passenger handling also takes place to a small extent.

Berth planning system introduced in Bangladesh port

In August 2007, a berth planning system was introduced in Bangladesh's main port, allowing the operation times of container ships, handling, arrival and departure times to be optimised. Two berths in the port terminal are available as a reserve in case of emergency. In 2011 more than 1.5 million TEU containers were handled. The handling volume grew by 24 per cent in the 2011 financial year. Since the 1990s, container handling in Chittagong has grown by an average of 14 per cent.

Another important port in Bangladesh for inland traffic

In the south of Bangladesh there is another important port called Mongla in Khulna. The inland port is located about 100 km north of the Bay of Bengal. Mongla is the second largest port of Bangladesh, where products such as frozen fish, jute, leather, tobacco and shrimps are exported. Cement, fertilizer, coal, wood and pulp are cleared in this port on import.