Published : 07 Oct 2026, 11:01 PM
Updated : 07 Oct 2026, 11:01 PM
A 15-year concession deal is scheduled for signing to hand over operations of Chittagong Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to UAE-based foreign operator DP World amid ongoing protests.
The signing ceremony for the NCT concession agreement will take place at 3pm on Thursday at the Invest Bangladesh auditorium in Dhaka.
Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam, Invest Bangladesh Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, and the board chairman of DP World are expected to attend.
As news of the signing spread, the Chittagong Port Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal and the Port Protection Movement Council held a torchlit procession in the port premises on Wednesday evening.
Denouncing the deal as a “black agreement”, the groups announced a protest rally outside the Chittagong Port Authority building at 3pm on Thursday.
Port labour leaders are expected to announce further protest programmes from the rally.
Meanwhile, the Port Protection Committee and the Workers-Employees Unity Council have issued strong statements condemning the potential agreement.
