Bangladesh interim government shipping adviser retired Brigadier General M Shakhawat Hussain on Wednesday said that the interim government was taking steps to appoint an operator for the Chattogram Port by December, clarifying that the port itself would not be handed over to anyone.

He said that several steps and procedures had already been completed to ensure the appointment process could be finalised within the set timeframe.

‘The port is not being given to anyone. An operator will be appointed for its management,’ adviser Shakhawat told reporters at a seminar titled “Navigating the Blue Economy: Ocean Resources Management in Bangladesh”, organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium in Dhaka.

Addressing the seminar, the adviser said that Bangladesh had failed to make notable progress in exploring the blue economy due to a lack of ‘political willingness.’

Meanwhile, several socio-political organisations have been protesting against the government’s move to lease out port services to any foreign company.