Mongla, Bangladesh’s second-largest seaport, handled more cargo and earned more revenue in FY2025-26 than in any year in its history. But the cost of keeping the 144-kilometre Pasur channel deep enough for ships, and the government loan taken to pay for it, is putting the port authority under heavy financial pressure.
The figures come from a report the Mongla Port Authority presented on 12 October to the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Public Undertakings.
A record year
- Cargo: 12.25 million tonnes (122.51 lakh tonnes)
- Containers: 29,714 TEU
- Vehicles: about 12,000 units
- Ship calls: 815 commercial vessels
- Revenue: Tk 387.95 crore, against spending of Tk 324.74 crore
The report puts FY2023-24 income at Tk 348.60 crore and expenditure at Tk 273.55 crore.
The cost of keeping the Pasur open
The port authority told the committee that the biggest obstacle to growing Mongla’s operations is maintaining navigable depth in the Pasur, which needs regular capital and maintenance dredging.
- A Tk 1,538.19 crore dredging project runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2029 and aims to remove 331 lakh (33.1 million) cubic metres of silt.
- The Bangladesh Navy is carrying out the work. This year’s Annual Development Programme allocates Tk 221.45 crore to it.
- By September, 10 lakh (1 million) cubic metres had been dredged and overall progress stood at just 3.48%.
A loan that falls due from 2030
Tk 1,384.37 crore has been approved for conservancy (maintenance) dredging of the Pasur. To cover it, the government approved a 20-year loan of Tk 1,245.93 crore at 5% interest. With interest, Mongla must repay Tk 1,868.90 crore in total. Repayments start in May 2030, and the first instalment alone is Tk 199.61 crore. People involved say these obligations will weigh on the port for years.
Ageing fleet and stalled projects
- The port still relies on the oil tanker MT Meghdoot, built in 1942, three mooring boats built in 1961, and two pilot boats.
- Two private container jetties being built under public-private partnership are stuck by legal problems, even though they are 62% complete.
- For a major project under India’s third line of credit (LoC-3), the authority has had to send the shipping ministry proposals for a change of approach and alternative financing.
Plans for growth
Two powerful tugboats are being added to the fleet, and the port is procuring a buoy-laying vessel, a search-and-rescue vessel, a mother vessel and a survey and research vessel. A loan agreement of about $340 million has been signed with China for port expansion and a container delivery yard; according to the report, China Exim Bank is lending at 2% interest with a five-year grace period and 20-year repayment. (Read more: Prime Minister lays foundation for Mongla jetty expansion.)
A long-term master plan aims to turn Mongla into an automated, environmentally friendly “green port” between 2027 and 2050. It includes:
- a second phase of the container terminal at Joymonirgol, a car yard and a multipurpose jetty;
- dedicated jetties for LPG, coal, perishables and chemicals;
- river training works;
- a helicopter with a helipad and hangar.
The port is also upgrading its vessel traffic management information system to attract more container ships.
Translated and rewritten from reporting by The Business Standard Bangla, 5 November 2026.
