The Payra Port Authority (PPA) has appointed a joint team of Dutch company Royal Haskoning DHV and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) to prepare the detailed master plan for the overall development of the third seaport of the country.
A tripartite agreement titled ‘Consultancy Services for Preparation of Payra Port Detailed Master Plan’ was signed on Thursday at the seminar hall of the Shipping Ministry in presence of its Secretary Abdus Samad and Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Harry Verweij.
Commodore M Jahangir Alam, chairman of PPA, Prof Shamsul Haq, of BUET’s Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation, and Erice Smit, strategic business director of Royal Haskoning DHV, signed the agreement on behalf of the respective parties.
Twenty-nine BUET specialists and 61 from Royal Haskoning will be in the consulting panel that will prepare a total of 24 study and development project reports, including the master plan, within 18 months at the cost of around Tk 1.25 billion.
Payra Port, one of the “10 Fast Track” projects being implemented by the government with top priority, will be built on the bank of Rabnabad channel of Patuakhali district.
Under a mid-term plan, the PPA will implement the construction of first terminal, capital dredging of Ramnabad Channel, coal and dry bulk terminal, multipurpose terminal.
In the long-term plan, the PPA plans to implement transshipment terminal, deep-water container terminal, offshore terminal or supply base, core port infrastructure, renewable power generation, housing, education health facilities, procurement of Towage Harbour Tugs and internal ferry terminal etc, UNB reported.
Other necessary infrastructures, like airport, rail connectivity, ship yard and ship repair facility, LNG and Liquid Bulk Terminal, will be built by other ministries concerned.
For each of the above components, the consultant will deliver Feasibility Study Report, ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment).
The Detailed Port Master Plan will be developed by the consultants through Topographic Surveys, Site Investigations and Modeling Studies.
Exact location of terminals and all necessary port components and infrastructures will be sketched on the master plan.
