With most of the preparatory and time-consuming works already done, the rest 87 percent work of the project will be completed by September next year.

This was stated by Shipping Minister Akbar Hossain at a meeting with the members of parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry here yesterday.

The implementation of Tk 435 crore New Mooring Container Terminal project started in the middle of February 2004. Chittagong Port Authority is financing the project from its own fund.

On completion of the infrastructural development work, the operational and structural development of the project would be handed over to private sector.

When completed, the terminal with 1-KM jetty and backward linkage facilities will handle some 5 lakh TEUs of containers annually.

The terminal on some 22 hectare of land would provide berthing for three container feeder vessels and two to three general cargo vessels at a time, sources said.

The 8-member parliamentary standing committee led by its chairman Golam Mohammad Siraj also inspected activities of the port and its other ongoing projects.

Committee members MA Matin, Talukder Abdul Khaleq, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury and Nasirul Haq Sabu were present at the meeting.