Shipping Adviser Brig. Gen. (Retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain. File Photo

DHAKA, Sept 20, 2025 (BSS) - Adviser to the Ministry of Shipping Brigadier General (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain today said that the government is formulating a National Port Strategy to chart out the long-term growth of the country's land, river, and seaports. 

The Shipping Adviser made this remark while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop on 'Customs and Port Management: Problems, Prospects, and Way Forward' held today at the Chittagong Port Authority Auditorium in Chattogram. 

The workshop was organized by the Support to Sustainable Graduation Project (SSGP) of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in collaboration with the Chittagong Port Authority. 

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Dr Anisuzzaman Chowdhury; Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping Mohammed Yousuf; Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Md Abdur Rahman Khan; Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority Rear Admiral S. M. Moniruzzaman; and Additional Commissioner of the Chattogram Nusrat Sultana attended the event as special guests. 

ERD Secretary Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky chaired the workshop, said an ERD press release. 

"The National Port Strategy is being formulated. Hopefully, the strategy will be finalized by the end of this year," the Shipping Adviser said. 

Regarding the recently revised tariff structure at the Chattogram port, the shipping adviser said the government had decided to postpone its rollout by a month. 

He also informed that the government has a plan to build a cold chamber at the Mongla Port for the preservation of perishable goods. He observed that the Mongla Port could be turned into a regional trading hub by fully tapping its potential.

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Dr Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, in his speech, called for forming a taskforce comprising all the relevant agencies to expedite the operations of seaports in the country. 

Discussants at the workshop called for reviewing the revised tariff structure at the Chattogram Port. Regarding this, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping Mohammed Yousuf said that Bangladesh would have to maintain compliance with various rules and regulations of International Maritime Organization in the coming days.

He also noted that the country would have to invest heavily in infrastructural development of the seaports. In this context, the Shipping Secretary said that the additional funding coming from this extra tariff would be spent for such infrastructural development and meeting the IMO compliances. 

Highlighting various steps taken by the government to speed up the customs procedure at ports, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Md Abdur Rahman Khan said that the government had already installed scanners at many of the ports while the provision of 'Authorized Economic Operator' had also been introduced. 

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ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky mentioned that Bangladesh's domestic industries need to improve their level of environmental compliance to meet the challenges of LDC graduation. He also emphasized enhancing the skill base and competitiveness.

Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman said a deep seaport should be built to facilitate the mooring of large ships and to act as a backup in case of any disruption at Chattogram Port.

He also said a comprehensive policy should be formulated to ensure seamless transit of imported and exported goods through seaports.

Former Secretary to the government and Project Adviser of SSGP Abdul Baki delivered the keynote presentation at the event. He underscored the importance of the coordinated role of private sector operators, the Chittagong Port Authority, Bangladesh Customs, and other government agencies in reducing consignment clearance time.

Additional Secretary of ERD and Project Director of SSGP A. H. M. Jahangir delivered the welcome address at the event.

Member of NBR Dr Md Al Amin Pramanik, Member of the Chittagong Port Authority Commodore Ahamed Amin Abdullah, and Deputy Managing Director of the Chowdhury Group of Chattogram Shahed Sarwar spoke as panelists during the event.

The panel discussants, in their remarks, called for full automation of NBR and customs-related procedures to speed up seaport activities.

Stakeholders at the workshop also urged increasing the capacity of off-docks. They emphasized improving road infrastructure around Chattogram Port to ease traffic congestion and called for expediting the operationalization of the Bay Terminal.

It is notable that Bangladesh is scheduled to graduate from LDC status on 24 November 2026. As the country approaches its LDC graduation, ensuring seamless trade has become more important than ever for sustaining development momentum and attracting foreign investments.

However, multiple operational, infrastructural, and regulatory bottlenecks continue to hinder the efficiency of port and customs services, resulting in a loss of competitiveness for domestic industry.

In this context, the workshop was organized to identify key challenges facing customs and port operations and to explore opportunities for improving port efficiency and customs clearance procedures in line with global best practices.

Senior officials from government ministries, agencies, and research institutions, along with representatives from relevant trade associations and think tanks, attended the event.