Sonadia best site for deep-sea port

An international consultant for the proposed deep-sea port project said the Sonadia-Moheshkhali point is the best site for the project.
Following a feasibility study, Japan's Pacific Consultant International (PCI) observed that establishment of a deep-sea port is feasible as it will be economically beneficial for the country due to its capacity to handle more sea-borne traffic in line with the future growth of the economy.
The study was done as medium and large vessels cannot enter any of the country's two seaports--Chittagong and Mongla--due to relatively low water levels in the Karnaphuli and Passur channel. This force exporters and importers to depend on feeder vessels to carry out their overseas trade.
The study findings were revealed yesterday at a workshop on techno-economic feasibility study of a deep-sea port in Bangladesh at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.
The study suggested that the impact of regional transit cargoes for the proposed deep-sea port would be marginal.
The PCI predicted that cargo volume would increase to around 32.53 crore tonnes by 2055 from around 3.38 crore tonnes from 2010.
The PCI study, predicting to attract up to 50,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) vessels a year, said the deep-sea port would generate additional income as it would attract new cargo that cannot be loaded or offloaded in Mongla and Chittagong ports.