Play store
Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Monday told parliament that the government has no plan to cancel or renegotiate the concession agreement with Denmark for the Laldia Container Terminal project at Chattogram.
Replying to a starred question from BNP lawmaker Md Shahadat Hossain (Lakshmipur-1), the minister said the agreement was signed transparently in accordance with all applicable laws, procurement guidelines and PPP regulations.
He said the concession agreement covers a total period of 33 years, including three years for construction and 30 years for operation, with an option to extend the operational period by another 15 years.
The minister said the project, titled Establishment and Operation of Laldia Container Terminal at Chattogram Port through PPP Model, was undertaken under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, 2015, the Policy for Implementing PPP Projects through Government-to-Government (G2G) Partnership, 2017, and the Procurement Guidelines for PPP Projects, 2018.
He said the agreement forms part of a government-to-government PPP arrangement between Bangladesh and Denmark and was executed after completing all required government procedures.
Bangladesh and Denmark signed a memorandum of understanding on June 30, 2021 to promote environmentally friendly and sustainable infrastructure development through PPPs, he added.
As part of the process, Denmark-based APM Terminals, a subsidiary of the Maersk Group, submitted an expression of interest on May 21, 2023 to build the terminal on the right bank of the Karnaphuli River at Laldia Char.
The project received policy approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on November 29, 2023. At the first Bangladesh-Denmark PPP Joint Platform meeting on January 3, 2024, the Danish government confirmed APM Terminals as the implementing partner.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was appointed transaction adviser by the PPP Authority on June 10, 2024. Following due diligence and negotiations with the preferred bidder, the adviser submitted the final concession agreement to the Ministry of Shipping on November 10, 2025 for legal vetting and necessary approvals, the minister said.
