DP World Chittagong concession signed for 15 years

DP World has signed a 15-year concession to operate and maintain the New Mooring Container Terminal at Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port, the Dubai-based ports operator said on Thursday. The DP World Chittagong concession is structured as a public-private partnership and also covers the terminal’s overflow container yard.

The agreement was signed in Dhaka on 8 October by Rear Admiral S. M. Moniruzzaman, Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), and Essa Kazim, Executive Chairman of DP World, the company said in a statement. The CPA keeps ownership of the terminal, while DP World takes responsibility for running and maintaining it.

Bangladesh’s Minister of Shipping, Shaikh Rabiul Alam, and Invest Bangladesh Chairman Ashik Chowdhury attended the signing. DP World was also represented by Group Chief Executive Officer Yuvraj Narayan and Rizwan Soomar, who leads its Subcontinent, Central Asia, Levant and Egypt region.

What the DP World Chittagong concession covers

DP World did not disclose the value of its investment. Its statement said the company would upgrade the terminal’s civil and equipment infrastructure and introduce digital systems to improve cargo handling as volumes grow.

The operator will work with the Chittagong Port Authority on berth planning, yard management, equipment utilisation, preventive maintenance, safety and sustainability, according to the statement. The partnership is also expected to support workforce training and give local businesses wider access to global supply chains.

Kazim described Bangladesh as “an increasingly important trading and manufacturing economy” and thanked the government and the port authority for awarding the concession. Moniruzzaman said the partnership reflected the port authority’s commitment to strengthening Bangladesh’s maritime and trade infrastructure.

The deal builds on a 2019 memorandum of understanding between the Government of Dubai and Bangladesh’s Public-Private Partnership Authority, which sits under the Prime Minister’s Office, DP World said.

Financial terms reported in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi officials have given more detail than the company. The Business Standard, a Dhaka daily, reported that DP World will pay the CPA about Tk600 crore (Tk6 billion) upfront, with 25% due at signing and the rest before operations begin. The newspaper cited details shared by the Invest Bangladesh chairman.

DP World has committed to invest more than Tk1,000 crore (Tk10 billion) in the terminal over the first 10 years, the newspaper said. That sits within a wider package of about USD150 million, including roughly USD90 million for equipment, technology and upgrades.

The CPA will receive 67% of the revenue from each container handled, plus a fixed annual fee of about Tk10 crore, according to the report. DP World has guaranteed minimum annual throughput of 1.23 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), and the term can be extended by a further 15 years by mutual consent.

DP World has not confirmed these figures, and the full agreement has not been made public, The Business Standard noted.

The New Mooring Container Terminal is already central to the port. It handled about 1.385 million TEUs in the last fiscal year, roughly 44% of Chittagong’s container volume, the newspaper reported. The port as a whole handled 3.52 million TEUs.

Why it matters for Gulf logistics investors

The DP World Chittagong concession adds a South Asian gateway to a network that the company says spans more than 60 ports and terminals and handles nearly 10% of global container traffic. Kazim said the terminal would be able to draw on that network of ports, infrastructure and supply chain services.

The Bangladesh port investment follows other emerging-market commitments by the Dubai group. The National reported this month that DP World is investing USD90 million to upgrade Angola’s Port of Luanda and is exploring two port and economic zone projects in Nigeria.

For Bangladesh, the aim is faster cargo movement. The terminal ranked 364th in the Container Port Performance Index 2025, with containers staying an average of 9.4 days, The Business Standard reported.

The agreement sets a truck turnaround target of about 90 minutes and allows financial penalties if targets are missed for three consecutive months, the newspaper said. The CPA retains regulatory oversight, it added.

The deal faces opposition. WorldCargo News reported that the signing came amid growing resistance from port workers and labour groups, who have raised concerns about foreign control of strategic infrastructure. The government has said existing workers will keep their jobs, wages and benefits, according to The Business Standard.

Work is due to begin within six months of signing, and full operations are expected within two years, Shipping Minister Rabiul Alam said, according to the newspaper.

Outlook Middle East will follow developments in its Middle East business news and regional business coverage.