Port of Chittagong

Chittagong port in 1960

Chittagong Port Authority Administrative Building

The modern Chittagong port was organized in 1887 under the Port Commissioners Act in the British Indian Empire. The port began formal operations under a commissioner in 1888. Its busiest trade links were with British Burma, including the ports of Akyab and Rangoon;[14] and other Bengali ports, including Calcutta, Dhaka and Narayanganj.[15] In the year 1889–90 the port handled exports totalling 125,000 tons.[16] The Strand Road was built beside the harbour. Between 1905 and 1911, Chittagong was the chief seaport of Eastern Bengal and Assam. It was made the terminus of the Assam Bengal Railway. Hence, the port's hinterland included all of colonial Assam (modern Northeast India). Trade between British India and British Burma rapidly increased in the early 20th century. The Bay of Bengal became one of the busiest shipping hubs in the world, rivaling the traffic of ports on the Atlantic.[17] In 1928, the British government declared Chittagong as a "Major Port" of British India.[18] Chittagong was important for the petroleum industry that developed in Assam and Burma. It was used for jute and rice trading. During World War II, Chittagong port was used by Allied Forces in the Burma Campaign.

After the partition of British India, the governor general of the Dominion of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, visited Chittagong and stressed its importance and future potential.[19] The Chittagong Port Trust was formed in East Pakistan in 1960. 100 employees of the Chittagong Port were killed during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[18] The Soviet Pacific Fleet was tasked with mine clearing and salvage operations in the port after the war.[20] The port has benefited from the growth of heavy industry and logistics in the Chittagong Metropolitan Area in the years following independence. Trade unionism was strong in the late 1990s.

A major expansion took place with the construction of the New Mooring Terminal in the first decade of the 21st century.[21]

Many private container terminals like this one have been set up near the port

The port depends on several container terminals, most of which are owned by private companies.

• New Mooring Terminal
• Chittagong Container Terminal
• KDS Logistics Terminal[23]
• Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) Terminal[24]
• Summit Alliance Container Terminal[25]
• Vertex Off Dock Logistic Terminal
• QNS Container Terminal
• Shafi Motors Terminal
• K & T Logistic Terminal
• Esack Brothers Terminal
• Chittagong Container Transportation Company Limited Terminal
• Port Link Logistic Terminal
• M/s. Incontrade Terminal
• M/s. Golden Container Terminal
• M/s. Saber Ahmed Timber Terminal
• M/s. Eastern Logistics Terminal
• B. M. Container Terminal
• Nemsan Container Terminal

The Eastern Refinery

• Eastern Refinery Terminal
• Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO) Terminal
• Jamuna Oil Company Terminal
• Padma Oil Company Terminal
• Meghna Petroleum Terminal
• Omera Fuels Limited Terminal[26]

The Bangladesh Navy's largest naval base, the BNS Issa Khan, and the Bangladesh Naval Academy are located in Chittagong port. The port is the home base of the most of the Bangladesh Navy fleet, including its submarine fleet. The Chittagong Naval Area often hosts joint exercises with the navies of other countries, as well as visiting foreign naval vessels. A missile launch pad is located near the port.[27] The Bangladesh Air Force maintains its BAF Zahurul Haq Air Base near the port. In addition, the Bangladesh Navy operates an airborne maritime surveillance wing.

The year 2000 had the highest number of Piracy attacks in the recorded history of Chittagong. Many of the raids resulted in the theft of mooring lines and Zinc anode and other movable ship equipments. In 2005 it had the highest pirate attacks in a port area in the world. The Government of Bangladesh has increased Navy and Coast Guard presence in the area.[28] According to ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships-2019 Report, incidents in Bangladesh have fallen significantly over the past few years because of the effort of Bangladesh Authorities.[29] There was no incident of piracy or armed robbery in 2019.[29]