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Danish company eyes infrastructure development in Bangladesh

APM Terminals keen to build sustainable Patenga Container Terminal
UNB . Dhaka
20 Feb 2022 21:06:56 | Update: 20 Feb 2022 21:21:31
Danish company eyes infrastructure development in Bangladesh
— Rajib Dhar

APM Terminals, a Danish port operating company, has shown keen interest in developing and upgrading the infrastructure in Bangladesh and building a state-of-the-art and sustainable Patenga Container Terminal.

APM Terminals representatives met key Bangladeshi stakeholders recently to explore deepening the cooperation on maritime infrastructure in the country.

Headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and part of AP Moller - Maersk, the company particularly eyes the Patenga Container Terminal as it has the potential to alleviate many of the constraints that adversely impact the Chattogram Seaport, hindering the future economic growth of Bangladesh, according to the Danish Embassy in Dhaka.

The company says it will trigger further investments along the supply chain and open new markets to Bangladeshi importers and exporters while serving as a catalyst for future relations between the European Union (EU) and Bangladesh.

Together with the Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Winnie Estrup Petersen, company representatives met State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Secretary of Shipping Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, CEO of Public-Private Partnerships Authority Sultana Afroz and Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Petersen said trade between Denmark and Bangladesh is centred around the transfer of climate-friendly know-how and cutting-edge technologies. "It’s an effective way to accelerate Bangladesh’s green economic transition and build sustainable economic competitiveness, especially for access to the European markets, by leveraging public-private-partnership.’’ 

Commenting on the future infrastructure project in Patenga, Vice President, Global Head of Corporate Development at APM Terminals, Martijn van Dongen said the seaport in Chattogram is currently being utilised at over 100 per cent of its capacity.

"While truly commendable, it’s not a sustainable solution matching the country’s growth ambitions. We believe that by developing a new terminal in Patenga together with our Bangladeshi partners, we can provide a viable and much-needed infrastructure solution with a positive economic impact.”

APM Terminals is known for providing superior port logistics and container terminal operations globally to shipping lines.

The company is committed to making the new terminal operational in the shortest time possible, said the Danish Embassy in Dhaka.

It is also an "opportunity" for Denmark and Bangladesh to "strengthen relations" by realizing a novel public-private partnership project based on their shared maritime roots.

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