APM Terminals launches $550 million project at Chattogram Port, Bangladesh, capable of handling 6,000 TEU

en.Wedoany.com Reported - APM Terminals has commenced construction of the Laldia Container Terminal at Chattogram Port in Bangladesh. With a total investment of $550 million, the terminal will add an annual handling capacity of over 800,000 TEUs to Chattogram Port and will be capable of accommodating container vessels of up to 6,000 TEUs.

The foundation stone laying ceremony was held at 11:00 a.m. on August 30 at Laldia Char, Patenga, near the mouth of the Karnaphuli River. Construction of the terminal is scheduled to last three years, with operations targeted to commence before 2030.

The project is being developed by APM Terminals in partnership with the Chattogram Port Authority and Bangladeshi equity partner QNS Container Services Ltd under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, covering a plot area of 49.15 acres. The new terminal will be able to handle container vessels of up to 6,000 TEUs with a draft of approximately 10.5 meters; currently, Chattogram Port can only accommodate vessels of around 2,700 TEUs.

Bangladesh's current container cargo transportation relies heavily on feeder vessels transshipped through regional hubs such as Colombo and Singapore.

The terminal will be equipped with 7 ship-to-shore cranes, 32 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes, and 41 electric terminal tractors, along with solar power generation and shore power-ready infrastructure. APM Terminals will be responsible for the design, financing, construction, and operation of the terminal, while land ownership will remain with the Chattogram Port Authority.

Under the terms of the agreement, the terminal will have a 30-year operating period after construction is completed, with an option to extend by up to 15 years subject to compliance. The project is expected to directly create 500 to 700 jobs, with additional employment opportunities in related sectors such as construction, trucking, warehousing, and freight forwarding.

The concession agreement was signed in November 2025. This followed the establishment of an intergovernmental PPP framework between Bangladesh and Denmark in 2021.

Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, APM Terminals is the port and terminal division of the Danish shipping and logistics group A.P. Moller-Maersk. It has operated as an independent business unit of Maersk since 2001 and currently operates approximately 60 ports and container terminals worldwide.