The deep-sea port at Sonadia Island in Cox's Bazaar is expected to handle 75 million tons of cargo a year by the year 2020 against just one million tons at the main seaport in Chittagong.
The master plan of the port envisages this going up to 325 million tons, KM Ahmed, coordinator of Pacific Consultants International, the Japanese consultancy agency for feasibility study, told bdnews24.com on Wednesday.
Shipping minister Afsarul Amin said earlier in the day that the first phase of the work at a cost of Tk 13,000 crore was expected to end by 2015.
The port would be operational after the first phase of work, the minister said. The second segment will start between 2016 and 2017, Amin said.
Ahmed said even the Chittagong port will be able to load and unload only two million tons of containers, even if modernised.
Only 18 percent of the ships can enter the Chittagong port as the Karnaphuli River is of low depth, whereas Sonadia port will allow 80 to 90 percent ships.
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Rubeel
www.jzom.com
The master plan of the port envisages this going up to 325 million tons, KM Ahmed, coordinator of Pacific Consultants International, the Japanese consultancy agency for feasibility study, told bdnews24.com on Wednesday.
Shipping minister Afsarul Amin said earlier in the day that the first phase of the work at a cost of Tk 13,000 crore was expected to end by 2015.
The port would be operational after the first phase of work, the minister said. The second segment will start between 2016 and 2017, Amin said.
Ahmed said even the Chittagong port will be able to load and unload only two million tons of containers, even if modernised.
Only 18 percent of the ships can enter the Chittagong port as the Karnaphuli River is of low depth, whereas Sonadia port will allow 80 to 90 percent ships.
Rubeel
www.jzom.com
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