APM Terminals marked the official groundbreaking for APM Terminals Laldia, in Chattogram, as one of the largest public-private partnership investments in Bangladesh’s history as it moves from the signing to the construction stage. The $550-million project is the flagship outcome of a government-to-government partnership that Bangladesh forged with Denmark to modernise its critical trade infrastructure. APM Terminals Laldia will be fully designed, financed, built and operated by APM Terminals and its partners in a first-of-its-kind model for Bangladesh’s port sector. Crucially, the port asset remains with Bangladesh even as it reaps the benefits of world-class private investment and operational expertise.Surge in global container fleet capacity“When the world’s shipyards deliver just a few more container ships, the global fleet capacity will for the first time reach 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). At that time, the fleet will have grown by 10 million TEU — or 42 per cent — in just five- and-a-half years,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst, BIMCO. To compare, earlier it took more than ten- and-a-half years to add 10 million TEU to increase fleet capacity to 24 million TEU, said BIMCO. At the beginning of September, global container fleet capacity was just 8,000 TEU below the 34-million-TEU mark. The milestone will, therefore, be reached after only a few of the 46 ships (totalling 2,86,000 TEU), scheduled for September delivery, enter into service.Demand grows for air cargo servicesThe International Air Transport Association’s data for July global air cargo markets shows that demand grew nearly 4 per cent year-on-year. While all regions recorded growth, airlines in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America accounted for more than 90 per cent of the increase. Dedicated freighters gained market share as belly-hold traffic declined, possibly reflecting demand for larger or specialist shipments and the operational flexibility freighters can provide. Looking ahead, the outlook remains broadly positive, supported by manufacturing activity, export orders and global trade. However, higher fuel prices, geopolitical tensions and tariff uncertainty need to be watched carefully, said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice-President, Sustainability, and Chief Economist.Published on September 7, 2026