Chittagong Drydock Limited (CDDL), a naval-affiliated ship repair company, has officially taken over operations of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port.
Local newspaper Prothom Alo reported that the transition took effect at 12:01 am on 6 July, following the expiration of Saif Powertech’s operating contract with the Chittagong Port Authority.
This marks CDDL’s first involvement in terminal operations at the port.
According to port sources, Navy officers with prior experience at Chittagong, Mongla, and Payra ports are now overseeing NCT’s management.
Operational continuity has been maintained, with Saif Powertech employees — now under CDDL employment — continuing to handle terminal equipment, including 14 gantry cranes.
Port-registered workers have also shifted under Drydock’s management, while Navy personnel have assumed responsibility for the terminal’s IT systems.
Chittagong Port Secretary Md., Omar Faruk, said: “The operational activities of the New Mooring Terminal are now running as they were before. Those who were employees of Saif Powertech are now working as Drydock employees. The terminal is running well under the new management.”
The New Mooring Container Terminal, built in 2007 with an investment of Tk 2,712 crore ($231.5 million), is the largest and most advanced of Chittagong Port’s four container terminals. It can reportedly berth five vessels simultaneously — four ocean-going and one inland — and handles the majority of the port’s container traffic.
Saif Powertech has managed the terminal partially since 2007 and fully since 2015. It now remains responsible only for operations at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT).
CDDL’s involvement is expected to continue until a long-term agreement is finalised with global operator DP World.
That deal brokered with support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is slated for signing in November.
Recently, Chittagong Port set a new record for container handling in the fiscal year 2024-25, successfully handling a total of 3.29 million TEUs.
