Bangladesh: America's Growing Grip on Chattogram Seaport

On a sultry May afternoon, 2025 as port cranes stretched skyward against the Bay of Bengal backdrop, Dr. Muhammad Yunus—the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government—lent his voice to a decision that could reshape the country's future: leasing the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of strategic Chattogram Port to UAEbased DP?World.

Promoted as an efficiency-enhancing, investment-friendly move, this choice—absent transparent bidding—inevitably raises urgent questions: whose interests will unfurl with the ship's sails—Bangladesh’s economic hope, or America’s expanding Indo-Pacific footprint?

Chattogram Port: Bangladesh’s Strategic Maritime Lifeline

Handling over 90% of the nation’s maritime trade, Chattogram is more than a commercial hub—it is the heartbeat of Bangladesh's economy. With a capacity peaking at 3.3?million TEUs in 2024, the port’s bottlenecks—3–4-day ship turnarounds, 7–10-day cargo clearances—reverberate into higher export costs and hindered competitiveness. The addition of DP?World, a global maritime titan operating in over 40 countries, promises modernization, automation, and faster flows. But pressing pause reveals deeper geopolitical tensions at the heart of this arrangement.

From Efficiency to Strategic Gain: The U.S. Foothold

The NCT deal arose outside open tender, structured as a government-to-government framework, effectively sidelining public scrutiny. Before Yunus visited the port in mid-May, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson also made a calculated inspection—triggering speculation that economic corridors here are inseparable from America’s regional positioning. 

This convergence—U.S. diplomatic presence and Yunus’s fast-tracked port chartering—has catalyzed wariness. Critics frame Dhaka’s embrace of DP?World as part of a broader Western tilt: parking logistics power in a key Indo-Pacific node, placing American influence astride Bay of Bengal trade arteries.

Echoes of Djibouti: Sovereignty vs. Security

Djibouti’s saga with DP?World serves as a caution—leasing critical port infrastructure spawned severe sovereignty and security tensions, culminating in lease termination by Djibouti’s government and a multimillion-dollar arbitration dispute. Critics argue Chattogram might follow a similar arc if foreign operators exercise undue autonomy over national logistics, especially near naval bases.

Yunus’s cabinet faces this tension starkly: modernization or maritime sovereignty? The port’s location—adjacent to military installations—amplifies risks alleged by labor unions and nationalists fearing job loss, security breaches, and diminished regulatory oversight.

U.S.–China Proximity: A New Arena in South Asian Strategy

The port handover arrives at a pivotal moment: Dhaka’s strategic alignment is shifting under Yunus’s oversight. Bangladesh is now exploring new partnerships—including ties with China and Pakistan—triggering Indian unease. In this flux, the U.S. sees opportunity. A deepwater-port controlled by DP?World offers prudence against China’s BeltandRoad projects in Myanmar, potentially locking Chattogram under a Western-aligned system. But every dollar gained may be matched by an equally weighty geopolitical claim.

Humanitarian Corridors or Strategic Corridors?

Proponents argue port modernization enhances Bangladesh’s regional trade role. The strategic analysts point out that U.S. presence coincides with renewed push for crossborder “humanitarian corridors” into Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine State. Under the U.S.-passed BURMA Act, aid and strategic support to anti-junta groups is authorized—raising suspicion that Chattogram’s upgraded logistics may double as freight routes for politically sensitive cargo.

Labor rights groups, unions, and opposition voices condemned the port handover and corridor push alike, cautioning that the interim government is overstepping its mandate. The risk: Bangladesh becomes the infrastructural backbone of a Western-led democracy proxy, compromising national autonomy.

The Bangladeshi Backlash: Sovereignty, Jobs, Democracy

Port workers, Awami League and other political entities have opposed the DP?World deal. Their objections range from job security to sovereignty concerns: “handing over a fully profitable terminal like NCT to a foreign operator” and that too during a caretaker tenure, is neither economically justified nor democratically legitimate. 

Awami leaders, the political analysts, et al, have criticized the interim government for secretive negotiations that threaten sovereignty, urging renewed democratic oversight. They argue that foreign nationals in elevated advisory positions are skirting proper procedures, potentially aligning Bangladesh with American strategic aims rather than the national interest.

India’s Unease and Bangladesh’s Strategic Pivot

India—a major stakeholder in Bay of Bengal connectivity—is watching closely. The NCT transfer to a UAE-based, Western-aligned firm marks a strategic departure from Hasina-era ties. Reddit commentators have noted Yunus’s pivot toward Pakistan and China, and India is reportedly left without its usual interlocutor.

Chattogram, long envisioned under India’s SAGAR doctrine and Indo-Pacific connectivity, now holds the potential to sidestep Delhi entirely. With the U.S. embassy’s engagement and DP?World’s rising command, Chattogram could become a fulcrum of U.S.-Nagori infrastructure and influence, potentially isolating India or forcing recalibrations.

Economic Gains—But At What Cost?

DP?World brings technology, capital, and efficiency—improving vessel turnaround by days, lifting export competitiveness by 10–15%, and injecting investment into port infrastructure. 

But these benefits may come with diminished exporter revenue, job losses, increased port fees, and curtailed regulatory power. Saudi Arabia’s Patenga Terminal experience—in which Red Sea Gateway underinvested—serves as a warning; not all foreign operators fulfill promises. 

Alarming Legal and Democratic Precedents

The interim government’s authority to undertake sweeping infrastructure reforms is itself constitutionally murky. Bangladesh’s Supreme Court nullified caretaker governance provisions in 2011, making Yunus’s interim administration extraconstitutional in authority. Decisions of this magnitude—port leases, corridor deals—without elected legitimacy risk setting dangerous precedents.

The EU and U.S. emphasize democratic accountability in infrastructure transactions. By side-stepping public tender, law scholars say Bangladesh risks undermining institutional norms. If transparency is sacrificed for expediency, the door opens wide to corruption, elite capture, and foreign manipulation—all antithetical to national interest.

Pathways Forward: Balancing Pragmatism with Prudence

Bangladesh must navigate a narrow strait between two competing imperatives:

Modernize ports to sustain export growth, strategic relevance, and economic competitiveness.

Preserve sovereignty, democratic procedures, and national control over strategic assets.

A more balanced approach might involve:

Transparent public tendering that allows domestic and foreign bids;

Gatekeeping clauses restricting foreign control near military zones and critical infrastructure;

Time-bound, reversible leases ensuring Bangladesh’s retrievability of control;

Active oversight mechanisms—Parliament, judicial review, public audits.

These mechanisms offer a way to harness DP?World’s efficiency without ceding excessive power. They also maintain faith in democratic processes—necessary if Bangladesh is to regain legitimacy ahead of any future elections.

Conclusion: Investment or Indenture?

The DP?World appointment is not a watershed—maybe globally significant, but also locally consequential. It holds promise: modernization, trade resilience, and regional competitiveness. But when pressed under the lens of timing and transparency, it morphs into a geopolitical gambit—with the potential to tether Bangladesh to foreign influence, especially from the U.S. and its allies.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus's interim government, legitimized by crisis rather than ballots, finds itself at a crossroads. It must choose between democratic rectitude or strategic expedience. If the priority is sovereignty and public trust, accountability must come first—even if at the cost of delayed efficiency. If the goal is shortterm gain, the path being taken bodes ill for Bangladesh’s autonomy.

Ultimately, Bangladesh’s sovereignty is not measured merely by land borders, but by the depth of its decision-making. Ports may welcome ships from across the globe—but once control is surrendered, retrieval is far from certain. Chattogram stands as a test: will Bangladesh chart an independent course—or become another port of call in Great Power rivalry?

Written by: Anwar A. Khan

Bio: The writer was a freedom fighter in 1971 to establish Bangladesh and is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.

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