TWENTY-TWO years ago, while I was returning from Portsmouth, UK on board the BNS Turag, the ship had three days’ stopover at Jeddah seaport. One afternoon, a large vehicle carrier vessel arrived and discharged hundreds of vehicles into the yard, which by evening was full. By early next morning, on my return from umrah in Makkah, I was surprised to see the yard completely empty — every vehicle had left the port within hours.
Similarly, at Colombo Port, I observed massive container vessels arrive and depart with turnaround times of less than a day. However, such operational efficiency is still elusive in Bangladesh. Despite having two old seaports, inefficiencies, uneven performance and lost opportunities have resulted from a lack of a common vision. This leads to investigate why a collective seaport strategy is necessary to realise Bangladesh’s maritime potential.
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Port strategy at a crossroads
OVER the past decade, Bangladesh has witnessed notable developments in its seaports. Yet, alongside this progress, the sector is facing serious setbacks now. After the fall of the previous government, public discourse around the port system has intensified. There is nothing wrong with this heightened scrutiny. The seaport is, after all, a strategic national asset. Politicians, businesspeople, the media and civil society are now paying increased attention, particularly as the interim government considers leasing container terminals to global operators.
What we witness today is, however, a classic case of policy inertia. After years of discussion, the government is reverting to the idea that the Chittagong Port Authority will once again operate the container terminals, a model last used decades ago (2007–2008). This kind of back-and-forth policy-making is not new, but it is costly. It undermines long-term planning, weakens investor confidence and prevents our ports from aligning strategically with the nation’s economic objectives. Can we achieve a strategic fit with such pattern of decision making?
Recognising such challenges, port-driven nations around the world have adopted long-term national strategies to guide infrastructure development, investment and institutional reform. Bangladesh still lacks such a cohesive approach. In January 2025, the shipping adviser M Sakhawat Hussain aptly called on the Japan International Cooperation Agency to provide financial and technical support to formulate a national port strategy. To chart the way forward, it is crucial to first assess the current state of our seaports.
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Port landscape
SEAPORTS are our economic lifeline but lack collective strategy. Chattogram Port set a record for container handling in the 2024–25 fiscal year, successfully managing 3,296,067ÌýTEUs. This is a 4 per cent annual gain, but are our port handling containers more efficient than our competitors? The port suffers from significant congestion, prolonged dwell times and high logistics costs. Mongla Port, the second largest, operates well below capacity with limited navigability. Located closer to Khulna, Jessore and parts of West Bengal, it has the potential to serve as a sub-regional port. Payra Port, inaugurated in 2016, was planned as the first deep seaport. Finally in 2021, the immediate past government aborted it as it is no longer feasible as a deep seaport.
We have another regular seaport in proximity in Mongla, which is least developed and less used. The Bay Terminal project, discussed for more than a decade, has recently gained momentum. Matarbari Port, initially planned to serve a coal-fired power plant, is now re-planned as Bangladesh’s first deep-sea port. How long does that plan remain feasible as the breakwater and channel are not yet stable? Hence, silt has started accumulating and channel draft has come down to 10 metres. This type of setback affects internal efficiency but also weakens our position in regional maritime landscape.
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Regional connectivity, geopolitical imperatives
BANGLADESH’S lack of a collective port strategy exposes it to a growing regional competition and shifting geopolitical dynamics. Neighbouring countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar are rapidly upgrading their port infrastructure to position themselves as regional transshipment and logistics hubs. Without strategic direction, Bangladesh risks falling behind in the Bay of Bengal trade corridor.
A national port framework could reposition Mongla and Payra as viable alternatives to congested Indian ports and serve landlocked neighbours such as Nepal and Bhutan. Strategic planning is specially urgent as Bangladesh finds itself at the crossroads of external interests. The lack of strategic port planning also directly impacts Bangladesh’s industrial growth and competitiveness beyond regional dynamics.
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Industrial growth, competitiveness
BANGLADESH’S aspiration to become a manufacturing and export powerhouse relies on efficient port logistics. However, inefficiencies at ports inflate logistics costs and erode the global competitiveness of Bangladeshi exports. A collective port strategy would support the development of dedicated export terminals, green lanes for priority goods and specialised berths for containers, bulk cargo, and liquefied natural gas. If ports remain disconnected from industrial zones, Bangladesh will struggle to attract foreign investment and scale up manufacturing. However, it is also imperative that port development should align with environmental sustainability and climateÌýresilience.
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Environmental sustainability
AS ONE of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, Bangladesh must ensure that its port infrastructure can withstand the impacts of rising sea levels, cyclones, storm surges and flooding. Chattogram and Mongla are highly exposed to environmental risks that can disrupt operations and cause severe infrastructure damage. A national strategy would enable targeted investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, including elevated platforms and reinforced breakwaters.
It would also enforce rigorous environmental impact assessments for all new and existing port projects. Furthermore, a forward-looking approach would promote green practices such as the use of renewable energy, shore power for vessels, low-emission cargo handling and sustainable dredging. To overcome our challenges and explore opportunities, we may draw lessons from the best practices of the global port.
Leading maritime nations such as the Netherlands, Singapore and China have demonstrated how integrated port strategies can drive economic transformation. There are complex issues revolving around seaports in Bangladesh. For more than a decade, we have discussed and tried to implement a deep seaport. There is no universally accepted definition of deep seaport. According to UNCTAD, ‘a deep seaport is a port that has the depth and infrastructure to accommodate large seagoing vessels and facilitate international trade flows on long-distance shipping routes.’ As stated by OECD, ‘deep sea ports serve as major nodes in the global maritime network, connecting intercontinental trade and acting as key hubs for transshipment and cargo distribution.’
So, in this sense, it is unlikely that we will have deep seaports like major deep seaports in the world. Our country is small, as is our coastline. In addition, as a lower riparian country, we will always have siltation problems. In future, we will have three more ports with two existing seaports and now we cannot afford to abandon any of them. Instead of labelling a port as ‘white elephant’, we may look there for unexplored strategic options.
So, what we need is a collective strategy for the development of our seaports balancing feasibility and our necessity. Bangladesh now must act decisively to map out its maritime future. The era of policy driftÌýmust end.
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Retired navy caption Sayeed M Hassan is an adjunct faculty at the Bangladesh Maritime University.
