Sonadia Port
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Sonadia Port was a proposed port in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. It was expected to receive imported coal for the proposed Matarbari power station in Maheshkhali Upazila, Cox's Bazar District.
The project was cancelled in 2016.
Location
Sonadia Port was planned for a small island nine kilometers offshore of the Cox's Bazaar coast in Chittagong.
Coal
The proposed Sonadia Port was expected to receive imported coal for the proposed Matarbari power station, sponsored by Sumitomo Corporation of Japan.[1] Pacific Consultant International (PCI), a Japanese firm, found Sonadia Island suitable for the construction of a deep-sea port in 2006, but did not consider inclusion of coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) jetties in the deep-sea port.[2]
Starting in at least 2012, the Chinese government publicly backed the Sonadia project. But Bangladesh decided not to sign a deal with China in 2014, opting instead to have further negotiations, reportedly because India and the United States opposed Chinese involvement.[3] In 2015, Bangladesh officials said a new feasibility study would be conducted before construction of a deep sea port.[4]
In January 2015, it was reported that the port may be abandoned, and the proposed Matarbari Port would be extended up to Sonadia, since they were only 25 kilometers apart. Matarbari deep sea port was also proposed for shipping coal to the Matarbari power station.[5]
In September 2015, it was reported that Bangladesh would likely move forward with the proposed Matarbari Port backed by Japan and shelve the US$8 billion Sonadia Port, setting back China President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt One Road” initiative to build a network of ports and expressways in the region. However, Bangladesh officials said no decision had been made yet on Sonadia.[6]
In February 2016, Bangladesh made the formal announcement that plans for the Sonadia Port had been scrapped.[7]
Project Details
- Sponsor: Sumitomo Corporation
- Location: Bazar District, Chittagong, Bangladesh
- Proposed Coal Capacity (Million tonnes per annum):
- Status: Cancelled (2016)
- Projected In Service:
- Type: Imports
- Source of Coal:
- Cost:
- Financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Maheshkhali to house massive power plant," Daily Star, February 11, 2014
- ↑ "Matarbari now potential site for deep-sea port," Financial Express, February 21, 2015
- ↑ "Japan Beating China in Race for Indian Ocean Deep-Sea Port," Bloomberg, June 23, 2015
- ↑ "Matarbari now potential site for deep-sea port," Financial Express, February 21, 2015
- ↑ "Sonadia deep sea port plan may be dumped," Dhaka Tribune, January 11, 2015
- ↑ "Bangladesh favours US$4.6bn Japanese port plan over rival Chinese scheme, says minister," South China Morning Post, September 11, 2015
- ↑ "Bangladesh's Deep Sea Port Problem," The Diplomat, June 7, 2016
