Royal HaskoningDHV has been commissioned to master plan the development of Payra Deep Sea Port in Bangladesh. It is set to be the country’s third and largest sea port, which will add much needed port capacity to Bangladesh to allow larger vessels to call at the facility.

Bangladesh reportedly imported approximately US$52.84 billion of goods in 2017 and the new deep sea port will enable the country to accommodate large draught vessels directly rather than requiring transhipment from Singapore or Colombo – a development that will deliver major savings in transit times and costs for both import and export.

“This port will be as essential link in the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and as such will have a great impact on the economic development of Bangladesh,” said M Jahangir Alam, chairman of Payra Sea Port Commodore.

Eric Smit, business development director maritime at Royal HaskoningDHV, said that the company will be working on the project together with the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology. “It’s rare to see green field port developments of this scale, and the new port will help the country achieve its growth ambitions and create greater economic growth, more jobs and new opportunities,” he added.

According to Royal HaskoningDHV, the first phase of the green field port development comprises capital dredging works, which will be carried out by Belgium’s Jan de Nul under a PPP framework agreement, and the creation of two new port terminals. 

The port, which is scheduled to be operational by 2022, is also expected to have strong rail, road and waterway links to the capital, Dhaka. As a global hub for the garment industry, Dhaka is known to have become a primary destination for imports and the origin point for most exports from Bangladesh.

As master planning consultant, Royal HaskoningDHV plans to integrate the latest ‘smart port’ thinking to drive efficiency and high performance. The company said that smart ports will embrace technology at every stage, from the design and maintenance of structures and assets, to ensuring smooth performance, energy efficiency and minimal downtime.