Singapore Renews Push for Bay Terminal at Chattogram Port: Shama Obaed

Singapore has renewed its interest in developing Bangladesh’s Bay Terminal at Chattogram Port, with the proposal discussed during State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam’s recent visit to the country.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Shama said the Bangladeshi delegation also visited a waste-to-energy project in Singapore and was shown how waste is processed to generate energy. During her first official visit to Singapore, Shama held separate meetings with Singaporean Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim to discuss issues of mutual interest.

She also visited the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), where she met Vincent Ng, its Regional CEO for the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Türkiye, along with senior officials. The delegation was briefed on PSA’s global operations and its use of automation and advanced technologies to develop efficient, sustainable and smart ports. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent expressed PSA’s interest in participating in Bangladesh’s Bay Terminal project, saying it could significantly enhance Chattogram Port and strengthen the country’s trade and connectivity.

Shama welcomed PSA’s interest and expressed hope for stronger 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

The two countries also discussed expanding bilateral trade and strengthening energy cooperation.

“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.