The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation will upgrade the container terminal at the Mongla port, the second most important seaport in the country.
The advisory council on government purchases at a meeting on Tuesday approved a shipping ministry proposal to award the contract to the Chinese firm under a project worth Tk聽4,046.48 crore.
Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed presided over the meeting at the secretariat in the capital Dhaka.
The contract was awarded under the government-to-government negotiation.
Under the project to be concluded in 2028, the port authorities will construct a container terminal with equipment, delivery yard, multi-storied car sheds, removal of sinking wreckages and improvement of main roads.
Lack of infrastructures in the port has failed to attract ships, with about 40 per cent of its berthing facility remaining unutilised.
The Chinese government will provide Tk 3,592.90 crore for the project and the Bangladesh government will contribute the remaining Tk 475.33 crore.
Currently, the port authorities have been implementing several projects, including the upgrading of Mongla port project at Tk 6,015 crore since 2020 with Tk 4,459 crore from an Indian loan.
Earlier, in February, the executive committee of the National Economic Council approved the container terminal upgradation project at the Mongla port.
Shipping ministry officials said that the same project had been submitted to the ECNEC in 2020 seeking approval, but the proposal was sent back then.
The advisory council on government purchases also approved the procurement of one cargo of liquefied natural gas from M/S Excelerate Energy, LP, USA following an Energy and Mineral Resources Division proposal.
Under the limited tender, the US supplier will charge $14.30 for per unit of gas from the spot market.
Besides, proposals for purchasing 72,897 electric poles to implement projects on strengthening power distribution network were also approved.
The government will procure 24,300 poles from the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Limited at Tk聽76.68 crore.
It will procure 24,300 poles from Charka SPC Poles Ltd, a joint venture comprising DADA Engineering Ltd, TSCO Power Limited and Pasha Poles Ltd, Bangladesh, at Tk聽76.65 crore.
The government will buy 24,297 poles from Poltes and Concrete Limited, a joint venture comprising Contech Construction Limited, Royel Green Products Ltd and Sheltech Technology, at Tk聽76.61 crore.
