Singapore renews push for Bay Terminal at Ctg Port: Shama

Singapore has long proposed developing a Bay Terminal at Chattogram Port, and the issue came up for discussion during State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam’s recent visit to the country.

Shama told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday that the delegation also visited a waste-to-energy project in Singapore, where they were shown how energy is generated through waste management.

During her first official visit to Singapore, Shama met Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim separately to discuss issues of mutual interest.

She also visited the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), where she met its Regional CEO for the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Türkiye, Vincent Ng, along with senior officials.

The State Minister was briefed on PSA’s global operations and its use of automation and advanced technologies to develop efficient, sustainable and smart ports.

Vincent expressed PSA’s interest in participating in the Bay Terminal project in Bangladesh, saying it could significantly enhance Chattogram Port and strengthen Bangladesh’s trade and connectivity, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shama welcomed PSA’s interest and expressed hope for greater cooperation in port development, logistics, technology transfer and capacity building, in line with Bangladesh’s priorities of industrialisation, infrastructure development and connectivity.

Bangladesh, Singapore seek closer economic ties

“We discussed ways to deepen cooperation, including expanding trade and strengthening our energy partnership. We are also making good progress on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, which will create more opportunities for businesses in both countries,” Singapore’s Foreign Minister said.

He said Singapore and Bangladesh share a longstanding partnership and close people-to-people ties.

Bangladesh and Singapore on Tuesday expressed hope for the early conclusion of the Bangladesh-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and stressed the need for stronger business-to-business engagement.

The two sides also discussed energy security, including risks to energy supplies, shipping and global supply chains, as well as climate change, water security, and illegal and irregular migration.