Switzerland’s Medlog has been given the responsibility of operating Dhaka’s Keraniganj Pangaon river terminal for 22 years. The interim government decided to hand over the terminal to foreigners after more than a decade of construction, as it could not be made profitable.

However, why only the management, not ownership, of this government-funded terminal was handed over to foreigners has sparked discussion among officials.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Chittagong Port Authority jointly constructed the Pangaon terminal.

Located on the banks of the Buriganga river, the container terminal cost Tk 1.49 billion to build. Operations began in 2013, but the first vessel berthed in 2015. Container handling gradually increased from 2018, reaching over 18,000 units in the 2022–23 fiscal year. In 2024–25, it fell to around 1,500 units.