Bangladesh has given initial backing to a privately financed $1bn shipbuilding and repair complex at the emerging Matarbari deepsea port.
The Ministry of Shipping has granted in-principle approval for the Matarbari Green Dockyard and Shipbuilding Facility and forwarded the unsolicited proposal to the country’s Public-Private Partnership Authority for technical and financial appraisal.
Australia-based AIS Marine Investments has been named as the proposed financier, with China Harbour Engineering Company lined up as technical partner. No construction timetable or concession period has been disclosed.
The project would occupy about 200 acres owned by the Chattogram Port Authority. Under the proposed landlord model, the port would retain ownership of the land and fixed assets, while infrastructure developed by the private investor would revert to the state at the end of the concession.
Plans include a drydock measuring 600 m by 95 m, capable of handling large commercial ships operating at Matarbari, other Bangladeshi ports and across the Bay of Bengal.
The facility would offer shipbuilding, scheduled docking and emergency repair services, reducing the need to send larger vessels to yards in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates or China.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Industries issued a no-objection certificate following an interministerial meeting earlier this year. The government said the project would be financed without state debt exposure.
The development is expected to create between 1,200 and 1,300 direct jobs and around 2,600 indirect positions if the project clears the remaining approval stages.
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