HR Wallingford, a British research company, has won the bid for consultancy on the 'conceptual master plan' for the proposed Payra seaport in southern Bangladesh.

A Tk 18.36 crore deal was signed at a programme in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Payra Seaport stands on the west bank of Rabnabad Channel in Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali, the port authority said in a statement yesterday.

The construction of the port's infrastructure is already underway.

“The conceptual master plan will make a vital contribution to assessing environmental and economic feasibility besides planning on the main works of the port, channel design, as well as building of the jetty and terminal,” Payra Seaport Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed said.

The country's port usage is growing by 12 percent a year, according to the statement.

The port will have a terminal for loading and unloading of coal, to ensure setting up of a 6,340-megawatt power plant, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said in the statement.

The shipbuilding industry will flourish, and an oil refinery and fertiliser factory will emerge by using the port's infrastructure, Khan said.

The long-term construction activities will generate many jobs for the local people, he added.

Robert W Gibson, British high commissioner to Bangladesh, and Tim Chesher, team leader from Wallingford, were present at the signing programme.