Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) is set to begin operations at Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) in Chittagong Port, Bangladesh, bringing relief to users of the congested port.
Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) will commence operations at the eagerly awaited Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) in Chittagong Port, Bangladesh, on June 10. The new terminal aims to alleviate congestion at the South Asian port, promising improved efficiency and capacity.
The construction of PCT was completed in June 2022, but operations could not begin until an operator was appointed. In November 2023, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh inaugurated the terminal, and a subsequent agreement was signed with Jeddah-based RSGT on December 6, 2023, granting them operational control for 22 years.
RSGT will handle its first ship, the Maersk Davao, which is carrying 1,700 TEU import containers from Port Klang. Initially, ship cranes will be used for loading and unloading containers, with gantry cranes expected to arrive by 2025, enabling the terminal to handle gearless vessels.
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) constructed PCT at a cost of $240 million. The terminal spans 32 acres, includes a 600-meter-long berth, and has a capacity to handle nearly 500,000 TEU annually. With a draft of over 10 m, the terminal can accommodate ships up to 200 m long carrying up to 4,500 TEU. PCT is strategically located within 6 nautical miles of the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port, closer to the open sea than the existing terminals.
Rafayet Ullah, a senior official at a garment factory, expressed optimism about the terminal easing the burden on exporters and importers. He expects world-class services at competitive prices from RSGT. PCT’s inauguration comes 17 years after the last new facility, NCT, became operational at the port. Ullah noted that more terminals should have been built earlier to manage the growing cargo load.
Omar Faruk, a spokesperson for CPA, stated that the port authority will gradually adopt a full-fledged “landlord model” by transferring port operations to foreign operators. Several terminals are in the pipeline, including Bay Terminal, Laldia Terminal, and a new deep-sea port in Matarbari, funded by Japan.
(SOURCE: FE)
