The Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) at Chattogram Port has commenced handling import cargo containers, marking the first instance of a foreign-operated terminal managing such operations in Bangladesh, according to The Business Standard.
Red Sea Gateway Terminal International, the terminal's operator, has already unloaded trial import containers from two vessels.
Scanner installations for import cargo container screening, managed by the terminal operator, have been completed. Chattogram Customs has deployed personnel, including assistant commissioners and revenue officers, to facilitate operations.
Red Sea Gateway Terminal International has stated that full-scale import cargo handling at PCT is expected to commence by April.
Port officials believe that this development will help reduce container congestion at Chattogram Port by integrating import handling alongside export and empty container management.
The Tk1,230 crore terminal was constructed with Chattogram Port's own funds and completed in June 2022.
In December 2023, the port authority signed a 22-year contract with Red Sea Gateway Terminal International for the operation of the facility.
The first commercial shipment of export containers from PCT took place on 10 June 2024.
Under the agreement, the port receives $18 per container handled at the terminal. Since the launch, an average of five ships per month have docked at PCT, with approximately 45 vessels transporting export and empty containers over the past nine months.
Maersk Line has been the primary operator, though three Pacific International Lines (PIL) ships carried empty containers last year.
According to Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Farooq, trial import container handling at PCT began on 16 February with 16 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers unloaded from the Maersk Vladivostok. A second trial phase on 9 March saw 208 TEU import containers unloaded from the Maersk Xiamen. He added that scanner installation is progressing under Red Sea Gateway Terminal International's management to facilitate container delivery.
Ahsan Habib, a senior official at PIL, noted that approximately 1,200 TEU empty containers were loaded onto PIL vessels from PCT in 2024.
According to Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association Secretary General Ruhul Amin Sikder, a review of container handling and transportation charges at PCT was conducted on March 12. The handling charge for a 20-foot import container has been set at Tk13,605, while a 40-foot container will cost Tk16,567. These rates will take effect from 1 April. Export cargo transportation charges have been fixed at Tk7,187 for a 20-foot container and Tk10,250 for a 40-foot container. For empty containers, the charges are Tk2,705 for a 20-foot unit and Tk5,410 for a 40-foot unit.
PCT features three container jetties and one dolphin oil jetty, allowing the simultaneous berthing of three container ships and one oil tanker. It is expected to handle 450,000 TEU containers annually, enhancing Chattogram Port's overall capacity.
Red Sea Gateway Terminal International is a leading terminal operator based in Saudi Arabia, managing the flagship container terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port.
Chittagong Port Authority is the government agency responsible for the management, maintenance, and governance of Bangladesh's main seaport, Chattogram Port.