The History of Chittagong Port
From Ptolemy's ancient maps to today's Chittagong Port Authority, sixteen centuries on the Karnaphuli River.
Chittagong is Bangladesh's main seaport, sitting at the estuary of the Karnaphuli River in the country's south-east. Its history as a formally administered port stretches back over 160 years, but the harbour itself has been in use for much longer than that. Queue position, berth prospect, permissible draft, pilot boarding and cargo-working conditions can change with the latest CPA notice, tide, traffic, equipment, labour and receiver readiness. Historical narrative is for context; operational decisions should follow current CPA and authority notices.
A Port Centuries Older Than Its Paperwork
Long before any official port authority existed, the Karnaphuli's natural harbour was already busy. The location shows up on Ptolemy's world map from around the 2nd century CE, and Arab merchants were trading here from at least the 9th century. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta passed through in the 14th century, by which point Chittagong was the leading seaport of the Bengal Sultanate, handling muslin, indigo and grain bound for the Malabar Coast and beyond.
The Portuguese arrived in the early 16th century and ran the port for more than a hundred years, calling it Porto Grande de Bengala, the Grand Harbour of Bengal. That ended in 1666, when the Mughal viceroy Shaista Khan retook the port in a three-day naval battle on the Karnaphuli, expelling the Portuguese and the Arakanese forces who had controlled the area before them. Chittagong stayed under Mughal administration for roughly a century after that, until the Nawab of Bengal ceded it to the British East India Company in 1760.
From Wooden Jetties to a Major Port
1860, English and native traders build the first temporary wooden jetties on the Karnaphuli, paying a nominal annual salami of one taka. 1877, The Chittagong Port Commissioner is formed. 1888, Two mooring jetties are constructed; the Port Commissioner formally comes into force on 25 April. 1899–1910, The Port Commissioner and Assam Bengal Railway jointly build four permanent jetties; rail connection to the port is completed in 1910. 1926, Chittagong is declared a major port. 1960, During the Pakistan period, the Port Commissionerate becomes the Chittagong Port Trust. 1976, Following independence, the Port Trust becomes the Chittagong Port Authority, the autonomous government body that still runs the port today, headed by a chairman and a four-member board.
Berths Today
| Berth Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Permanent Paved Jetty | 15 |
| Pontoon Jetty | 2 |
| Private Jetty | 3 |
| Lighter Jetty | 8 |
| Mooring Berth | 11 |
| Multi-Purpose Berth (Container Jetty) | 12 |
Working With Bangladesh's Oldest Major Port?
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