One private operator is likely to be appointed for handling of containers in the New Mooring Container terminal (NCT) of the Chittagong Port in the next month. Talking to the Independent, Syed Farhaduddin Ahmed, Secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) said, six prequalified firms will submit their technical and financial offers on June 25 next. Then the highest bidder will be appointed as the private operator of the NCT, he added.
Syed Farhaduddin Ahmed told the Independent, letters have already been issued to the six prequalified firms for sbmniting their technical and financial offers within the stipulated date.
The pre-qualified firms are; APM Terminal of the Netherlands, Hutchinson Port Investment Limited of West Indies, International Container Terminal Services Inc. of Dubai, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company of UK, PSA-Europe Private Limited of Singapore and Saif Powertech of Bangladesh.
The CPA had undertaken the project of New Mooring Container terminal at a cost of taka 737 crore including a 1000 metre long berth and back up facilities on 65 acres of land in 2000 last with the increasing trend of containeraisation in the maritime trade.  
According to CPA sources, the Chittagong Port will be able to handle more 5 lac TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) annually.
Currently a total of 10 container ships can take berth at a time. But the arrival of the container vessels in the Chittagong Port has rapidly been increasing with the rapid global containerisation in the maritime trade. That is why the CPA had undertaken the New Mooring container terminal for accommodating berthing facilities for more five Feeder vessels in the Chittagong Port. As per project schedule it was supposed to be commissioned in 2005 last. But the commissioning has been delayed to 2010 last.
It may be mentioned that 1.5 million TEUs of containers are handled in the Chittagong Port annually.
Of them one million TEUs of containers are handled in CCT and NCT alone and the rest 0.5 million TEUs are handled in 6 jetties of General Cargo Berth (GCB).
It may be mentioned that Saif PowerTec, a private operator is now handling containers and containerized cargo at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) and New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), two specialised terminals of the port.
It may be mentioned that containerisation in the maritime trade has remarkably been increased in the country. Arrival of container vessels in the Chittagong Port, principal seaport of the country has recently been increased to more than 80 per cent annually.
The Chittagong Port Authority had been constructed 125 years back as a General Cargo Berth, container handling started since 1977 with only 6 TEUs of container that has now reached to 15 lac TEUs now.
Besides, operations of 13 General Cargo Berths (GCB) built up more than 50 years back have been divided into 12 Berths. Of them six jetties are now being used for handling of container vessel along with the existing Container terminal with the capacity of handling four container vessels.