Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mustafa, NUP, NDC, AFWC, PSC, BN, an experienced and skilled officer of the Bangladesh Navy, has taken charge as the chairman of Mongla Port, the second largest seaport in Bangladesh. He officially assumed charge as the chairman of Mongla Port Authority on Sunday (June 7, 2026). He has replaced the previous chairman, Rear Admiral Shaheen Rahman.
On the occasion of assuming charge, he officially assumed charge as the new chairman by handing over and accepting the responsibility from Commodore Md. Shafiqul Islam Sarkar (G), PSC, BN, the acting chairman of Mongla Port Authority. Earlier, Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mustafa served as the Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
Immediately after assuming office, he participated in an important meeting with the members of Mongla Port Authority, department heads, 9th grade and above officers, members of the Officers Association and members of the CBA Ad Hoc Committee at the port's meeting room. In the meeting, the newly appointed chairman was briefed about the ongoing and unfinished projects, administrative activities and future development plans of the port.
At the meeting, Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mustafa said, "Mongla Port is one of the most important driving forces of the country's economic development and foreign trade. It must be turned into an international standard port by increasing the capacity of this port, improving the quality of services and ensuring maximum use of modern technology."
He called on the officers and employees to work as a team, adhering to honesty, dedication, sense of responsibility and religious principles.
At the same time, he emphasized on making operational activities more dynamic and effective by reducing administrative complexity. He also instructed everyone to work sincerely to increase the port's income, reduce costs and improve the quality of services.
The newly appointed chairman also said that to ensure the overall development of the port, a quick discussion meeting will be organized with port users, traders, shipping agents and relevant stakeholders. Taking their opinions and suggestions into consideration, initiatives will be taken to make the port's activities more dynamic and user-friendly.
According to the concerned circles, with the combination of long experience and visionary leadership, Mongla Port will enter a new phase of development and will be able to make a more important contribution to the national economy.
Brief introduction of Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mustafa
Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mustafa joined the Bangladesh Navy in 1990 and was commissioned in the executive branch of the Navy in 1992. He graduated with distinction in Science from Chittagong University and completed his Master's degree in Military Studies from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP).
He is an alumnus of Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSC&SC), Mirpur, National Defence College, Mirpur and National Defence College, Nigeria.
He has gained extensive experience in various command, training and staff assignments in his distinguished career spanning over three decades. He has served as the Captain of two frigates of the Bangladesh Navy—Banouja Omar Farooq and Banouja Samudra Joy. He has also served as the Commissioning Captain of Banouja Durjoy and the Decommissioning Captain of Banouja Omar Farooq.
Rear Admiral Mustafa is the Commander of Patrol Craft Banouja Farid, Teesta and Meghna, LPC Banouja Durjoy, OPV Banouja M.H. He also successfully served as the captain of Amin and Naval Base Banauja Haji Mohsin.
