Matarbari is named in Bangladesh’s Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974, prompting a straightforward legal question: what work does that reference perform? The answer lies in the Act’s treatment of territorial-sea delimitation. In the explanation to section 3(1), Matarbari Port appears among the harbour works and anchorages considered for that purpose. The reference is significant, but it does not itself set a port boundary, designate a berth or anchorage, or prescribe a process for ships, cargo interests, operators, developers or counterparties. Those matters arise under other legal instruments and factual circumstances. The current statutory record, the 2021 amendment and the 2026 Maheshkhali framework make the distinction clear. [1] [2] [3] [6]
The question in view
Separate maritime issues
Admiralty jurisdiction, court allocation, vessel arrest and release, liens and mortgages, freight or charterparty claims, cargo loss or short delivery, and bunker-supply claims are governed by separate legal questions, each dependent on its own current legal sources and facts.
The statutory reference and territorial-sea delimitation
Section 3(1) of the current consolidated Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974 describes the Territorial Sea by reference to the Territorial Sea Baseline and a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles measured seaward from that baseline. Its explanation provides that, for the purpose of delimiting the Territorial Sea, specified outermost permanent harbour works forming an integral part of Bangladesh’s existing harbour system are treated as part of the coast. The statutory examples include Chattogram, Mongla, Matarbari, Payra and other ports, together with their assigned outer anchorages and Saint Martin’s anchorage. 1
Matarbari’s place in that provision is therefore one of territorial-sea delimitation. Section 3 does not publish baseline coordinates, define a Matarbari port limit, identify a berth or anchorage, or state a procedure for a vessel, cargo interest, operator, developer or counterparty. 1
The 2021 amendment and the current statutory text
The Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones (Amendment) Act, 2021 substituted section 3, and the official legislation record states that the amendment has been incorporated into the principal Act. The current consolidated wording is accordingly the relevant text for this statutory proposition. 1
The provision is not an operating-status notice. The Act separately permits the Government to determine Territorial Sea Baseline points by Gazette notification and to make rules on matters including foreign-vessel entry, sea lanes and traffic-separation schemes. Section 3 neither supplies those instruments nor identifies them. 3
Project material serves a different purpose. BIDA describes a deep-sea port at Matarbari as under development, while a CPA page records a 2020 administrative notice concerning the Matarbari Port Development (CPA Part) Project. Neither record establishes current operational readiness, a port limit, a vessel-call requirement or a local maritime procedure. 4
Maheshkhali’s 2026 statutory framework
The Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority Act, 2026 is a separate current statute. Its stated purpose refers to transforming the Maheshkhali area into an industrial and commercial area through development projects that include establishment of Matarbari deep-sea port. The Act establishes the Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority (MIDA) and is deemed effective from 1 August 2025. 6
The Act creates an area-development and coordination framework. Its current text provides that it applies within the Authority’s scheduled area and does not obstruct functions conferred on other authorities under their respective laws. It also contemplates further Gazette material, including detailed area information and a master-plan process, as well as rules and regulations. 6
The materials reviewed do not identify a final master plan, readable scheduled-area text, current Matarbari marine direction, port-operating instruction or matter-specific approval. The Act therefore does not itself allocate responsibility between public bodies, determine site access or resolve a regulatory outcome. 6
Questions governed by separate instruments
A Matarbari connection may engage distinct legal and regulatory questions. Any conclusion about a particular vessel movement, project area, construction activity, cargo movement, contract, environmental matter, customs or immigration interface, public procurement issue or dispute turns on the relevant current primary materials.
A competent-authority instrument is required for propositions about baseline points, local boundaries, assigned anchorage, navigational directions, access, safety, security, tariffs, customs, immigration, environment, construction controls, operational availability or a specific authority’s decision. The CPA and Ministry of Shipping pages reviewed for this insight display general notice feeds; they do not provide a readable Matarbari-specific operational rule. 8
Reading the statutory record in context
Matarbari’s inclusion in the explanation to section 3(1) gives it a defined place in Bangladesh’s territorial-sea delimitation framework. That inclusion does not, by itself, determine port operations, local limits, access requirements or maritime procedures. The 2021 amendment confirms the current statutory text, while the 2026 Maheshkhali Act supplies a separate area-development and coordination framework. Questions beyond territorial-sea delimitation must be resolved by the specific legislation, Gazette material, rule, notice or authority instrument that addresses them. 1 3 7
Source and date note
This insight draws on official Bangladesh legislation and official government or authority pages accessed on 21 September 2026. The statutory propositions rest on the official current section 3 record for the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974; the official 2021 Amendment Act record; and the official Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority Act, 2026 record. The project and notice pages are used only for their stated contextual records. The authoritative Bangla text, material amendments, relevant Gazette notifications, and any rules, orders, notices or case law must be checked for statutory currency. 1 4 6 8