| Port of Narayanganj | |
|---|---|
 Ships on theShitalakshya River beside the Kanchpur Industrial Area in Narayanganj | |
 Interactive map of Port of Narayanganj | |
| Location | |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Location | Narayanganj District,Dhaka Division |
| Coordinates | 23°37′01″N90°30′22″E / 23.617°N 90.506°E /23.617; 90.506 |
| UN/LOCODE | BGNAR[1] |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1862 |
| Operated by | Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority |
| Owned by | Government of Bangladesh |
| Type ofharbour | Artificial / Natural |
| No. ofwharfs | 17 |
ThePort of Narayanganj is ariver port inNarayanganj, Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest and busiest river ports in Bangladesh; and one of the major ports of theBengal delta. The port is located on theShitalakshya River. The port area is home to numerous industries.
The port formally began operations in 1862. Narayanganj was the principal gateway toDacca duringBritish rule. The port had shipping links with the major ports ofBengal,Assam andBurma, includingDacca,Calcutta,Chittagong,Akyab,Rangoon, Cachar and Sylhet. It became a center of trade in jute, timber, salt, textiles, oil, cotton, tobacco, pottery, seeds and betel nut. The British government declared it as a "Tax Free Port" in 1879.[citation needed]
Rally Brothers & Co. was the first company to begin the jute business in the port of Narayanganj. Numerous British companies set up trading posts in the area and used middlemen, calledbeparis, to source raw jute from the hinterland. Achamber of commerce was set up in 1904. In 1907–08, 20 companies were engaged in thejute trade of Narayanganj, of which 18 were European.[2] Hindu merchants opened several cotton mills in the 1920s, including the Dhakeshwari Cotton Mill, the Chittaranjan Cotton Mill and the Laxmi Narayan Cotton Mill.[3] In 1950, theAdamjee Jute Mills, the world's largest jute mill, was established near the port. The government of Pakistan developed the modern port in June 1955.[3] In the 1960s,Queen Elizabeth II, Crown PrinceAkihito andKing Bhumibol were among the foreign dignitaries who visited the Narayanganj port and Adamjee Jute Mills.[4][5]Kamal Hossain served as a lawyer for the English-owned and Narayanganj-based Rally Brothers company.[6]
The present-day Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) in Bangladesh has its roots in the Narayanganj Chamber of Commerce (NCC) established in 1904.[7]
The port has a two-storied terminal building, seven RCC jetties, ten pontoon jetties and a number ofwarehouses covering a total floor space of 62,000 sq ft.[3] The port is linked with Dhaka by theBangladesh Railway and three roads.
The port's surroundings are a vital manufacturing center of Bangladesh, including for theBangladesh textile industry,shipbuilding, food processing, chemicals, pulp and paper, machinery and metal products, chemicals, wood products, consumer goods and construction materials.[8]