The decision to hand over the Newmooring Container Terminal (NCT)—the most vital container terminal of the country's premier seaport, Chattogram Port—and its associated overflow yard to the United Arab Emirates-based DP World for 15 years has reached its final stages. Following the interim government, the ongoing initiatives by the current administration to transfer this strategic national asset to a foreign operator have sparked intense political debate and labor unrest across the country.

Core Outline of the Agreement and Government Stance

• Terminal Transfer: Under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project, the operation and maintenance responsibilities of NCT and the overflow yard are being handed over to DP World. • Financial Significance: Approximately 44 percent of Chattogram Port's total container handling (about 1.385 million TEUs based on 2025 data) is handled exclusively by NCT. • Government Justification: The Ministry of Shipping and relevant policymakers claim that appointing a foreign operator will increase the use of modern technology, multiply the terminal's handling capacity, and ensure world-class service quality. Continuous Foreign Dependency: Terminals Falling into Foreign Hands One by One Analysis reveals that the primary terminals of Chattogram Port are gradually falling under the control of foreign companies: • Previously Transferred: Patenga Terminal (Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Gateway Terminal), Laldiar Char, and Pangaon ICD (Denmark's APM Terminals and Switzerland's Medlog). • Ongoing Process: Alongside NCT, intense discussions are underway to appoint foreign operators for the Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT), General Cargo Berth (GCB), and Bay Terminal-Multipurpose Terminal.

Intense Internal Reaction and Labor Unrest

Widespread anger and resistance have erupted across the country against the decision to lease this nationally strategic port to foreign entities:

• Labor Warnings: Various labor organizations, including the Port Protection Committee and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, have explicitly stated that leasing the terminal to foreign powers will pose severe threats to state sovereignty and economic security. Warnings have also been issued to completely halt port operations. • Lack of Transparency and Assessment: The Port Protection Committee alleges that prior to leasing a lucrative and strategic terminal like NCT, no comprehensive and transparent comparative evaluation regarding its potential revenue under self-management, state financial benefits, and long-term impacts was made public. • Fears of Job Losses: Labor leaders fear that in the name of foreign management, domestic employment opportunities will shrink and thousands of workers will lose their job security.

The process of handing over the main terminals of Chattogram Port—the lifeline of the national economy—to foreign multinational companies brings forward theoretical claims of modernization while raising serious questions regarding the country's strategic security, revenue interests, and workers' rights. Implementing such long-term agreements while bypassing transparency and labor unrest could impose long-term negative impacts on the domestic economy and geopolitics.

Author: Dr. Abul Hasnat Milton, Journalist, Political Analyst, and Editor-in-Chief, The Source News Bangla