APM Terminals breaks ground for terminal in Laldia, Bangladesh
APM Terminals this week marked the official groundbreaking for APM Terminals Laldia in Chattogram, moving one of the largest Public-Private Partnership investments in Bangladesh’s history from signing to construction.
The USD 550 million project is the flagship outcome of a Government-to-Government (G2G) partnership between Bangladesh and Denmark, under which Bangladesh invited Denmark to bring the expertise and investment of its shipping and logistics companies to modernise the country’s critical trade infrastructure.
APM Terminals Laldia is being delivered in partnership with the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and local partner QNS Container Services Ltd. Senior Government leaders from both countries attended the groundbreaking ceremony, marking a shared commitment to investment-led growth.
APM Terminals Laldia will be fully designed, financed, built, and operated by APM Terminals and its partners, a first-of-its-kind model for Bangladesh’s port sector. Crucially, the port asset itself remains with Bangladesh throughout, ensuring that the country retains ownership of its strategic infrastructure while benefiting from world-class private investment and operational expertise.
Once operational in 2030, the terminal will add over 800,000 TEU of annual handling capacity to Bangladesh’s port infrastructure, easing congestion at Chattogram and strengthening supply chain reliability for the key engines of the export economy, including textiles, apparel and manufacturing.
Designed with a deeper draught and an extended quay, APM Terminals Laldia will enable the Port of Chattogram to handle container vessels of up to 6,000 TEU, which is more than double the current limit of around 2,800 TEU. The ability to receive larger vessels delivers higher efficiency through improved turnaround times and lowered logistics costs.
Romesh David, CEO, APM Terminals Laldia, said, “Breaking ground at Laldia is a promise turning into reality. We are building far more than a terminal by giving Bangladesh’s exporters deeper water, bigger ships, cleaner operations and a genuinely world-class gateway, while the asset stays firmly in Bangladeshi hands.”
The project is expected to generate over 1,000 jobs during construction and more than 500 during operations, alongside significant indirect employment across logistics, manufacturing and services. As part of APM Terminals’ commitment to workforce development, dedicated training and apprenticeship programmes are being established to build local, highly skilled maritime talent.