Bangladesh has given in-principle approval to a proposed $1 billion Matarbari Green Dockyard and Shipbuilding Facility at the Matarbari deep-sea port, the trade publication Ship & Offshore reported on 27 July 2026.
The proposal
The facility would cover 200 acres with a flagship dry dock 600 metres long and 95 metres wide, offering docking, maintenance, repair and newbuilding. Australia-based AIS Marine Investments is the proposed financier and China Harbour Engineering Company the technical partner. The land belongs to the Chittagong Port Authority, which would keep ownership of the land and fixed assets under a landlord model; private infrastructure would pass to the state at the end of the concession.
Where approval stands
According to the report, the Ministry of Shipping forwarded the unsolicited proposal to the Public-Private Partnership Authority for technical and financial appraisal, and the Ministry of Industries issued a no-objection certificate after an inter-ministerial review. The government says the project would not create state debt. If the remaining approvals are secured, it could create 1,200-1,300 direct and about 2,600 indirect jobs. No construction schedule or concession term has been disclosed.
Why it matters
Bangladeshi yards currently build vessels of up to about 10,000 DWT, and the country has no dry dock of this size. The proposal is at appraisal stage, and its figures are the promoters’ estimates rather than confirmed outcomes.
Sources
- Ship & Offshore: “Bangladesh backs Matarbari shipbuilding and shiprepair hub” (27 July 2026)
File photo: the Matarbari development area during the prime minister’s visit, 9 August 2026. Photo: Press Information Department / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
This article was prepared by Maritime News BD from the report(s) and documents listed above; it was not independently reported by Maritime News BD.
