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Chattogram: The Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) is planning a major digital transformation to turn the operations of the country’s main gateway for seaborne foreign trade into a fully paperless “smart port” by December.
The initiative aims to modernise port operations, reduce transportation costs, ensure greater transparency and ease chronic traffic congestion around the port’s entry and exit points.
The plan was discussed at a recent progress review meeting led by CPA Chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, which focused on expanding existing digital services, integrating inter-departmental platforms and eliminating the remaining manual workflows.
Records show that Chattogram Port handled a record 3.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, 138 million tonnes of general cargo and 4,273 vessels in 2025. The port accounted for around 92% of Bangladesh’s seaborne general cargo and 98% of its containerised trade.
“Keeping in account the complex and multi-disciplinary chain of work involving importers, exporters, shipping lines, C&F agents, freight operators, customs and banks, the CPA assessed that true efficiency requires unified digital integration rather than piecemeal online solutions,” CPA Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim told media.
He said the new measures would expand digital automation across every operational layer, while 100% of shipping billing is already being processed online.
Port sources said a newly established One-Stop Service Centre, featuring API integration with Sonali Bank PLC, is facilitating the transition of container and consignee billing to a fully digital system linked with the Terminal Operating System (TOS).
Importers and their nominated internal service providers can make payments round the clock, including on weekends and public holidays.
An auto-pull payment system will also be launched to settle port charges that remain unpaid for more than 72 hours through the designated digital platform, the sources said.
Building on a milestone achieved last July, the TOS has been synchronised with the National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) ASYCUDA World system to digitise import container delivery orders. Importers can now track relevant documents online without relying on physical paperwork, the port sources said.
Refayet Hamim said the CPA is implementing Time Slot Management, online cart tickets and e-gate passes to eliminate vehicle tailbacks at entry and exit points.
Equipment Interchange Receipts (EIRs) are being synchronised with e-gate passes, allowing truck entry, cargo loading and exit schedules to operate within a pre-planned digital framework.
Customs auction deliveries, special delivery assignments and Inland Container Depot (ICD) workflows are also being integrated through NBR and Customs APIs, enabling real-time data sharing among logistics partners, he said.
The port secretary said digital systems would eventually be expanded to bulk cargo handling as well. Plans are also underway for the upcoming Bay Terminal to introduce a slot-by-slot digital parking ticket system to regulate vehicle movement.
Refayet Hamim highlighted that the foundations for the digital transformation are already in place. The port’s “Port Single Window – CPA Sky” platform, launched earlier this year, provides single-login access to port services alongside digital radar and real-time vessel tracking.
The TOS dashboard currently handles between 60,000 and 65,000 gate entries a month, with a single-day record of 7,080 gate passes, he said.
By converting the entire multi-layered operation, from vessel arrival and bill payment to customs clearance and final delivery of goods, into a unified and trackable digital workflow, the CPA aims to improve key operational indicators, reduce turnaround times, accelerate revenue collection and bring greater efficiency to overall port management.
The transformation is also expected to bring Chattogram Port’s export-import operations closer to the automated and technology-driven systems used by ports in developed countries, sources said.