Patenga container terminal: Boosts capacity with addition of 14 new cranes
Business Report :
The Patenga Container Terminal at Chattogram Port has strengthened its container-handling capacity with the addition of 14 new Rubber-Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes, aimed at improving handling speed and overall operational efficiency.
The cranes, manufactured by Chinese company GENMA, arrived in October and were formally handed over this morning on Monday to the terminal’s Saudi operator, Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI), following completion of commissioning.
The handover ceremony was attended by senior officials, including Chattogram Port Authority Member (Engineering) Commodore Mazharul Islam Jewel, Bay Terminal Project Director Commodore Mahfuzur Rahman, RSGTI Chattogram Chief Operating Officer Any Lane, and GENMA Solutions General Manager Susan Zha. Zha officially transferred the equipment by presenting a replica key to the RSGTI COO.
Patenga Container Terminal has been operated by RSGTI under a 22-year concession agreement since June last year and has recorded steady growth in container handling after an initial period of underperformance.
A significant turnaround came in May 2025 when RSGTI invested $3 million to install an import container scanner at its own cost-equipment that the National Board of Revenue had long been unable to provide.
Between May and October, the terminal handled 108,228 TEUs, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total cargo processed during its first 16 months of operation.
Monthly throughput peaked at 25,018 TEUs in October, rebounding from 17,337 TEUs in September. Vessel arrivals also increased, with seven ships berthing in August alone.
Despite the progress, the terminal remains below its designed capacity. Utilisation reached 49 percent in October, compared to a theoretical monthly capacity of 41,700 TEUs.
Port officials and RSGTI attribute the gradual scale-up to the phased development plan outlined in the concession agreement and the ongoing installation of equipment.
Bay Terminal Project Director Commodore Mahfuzur Rahman praised RSGTI’s performance, saying that despite operating within a limited scope, the terminal is being run in a structured and automated manner that is “commendable and instructive.”
RSGTI Head of Commercial and Public Affairs Syed Aref Sarwar said the newly added RTGs will further accelerate operations. “Once four gantry cranes are added by the end of May next year, we expect to reach full operational capacity,” he said.