Shipping Ministry moves to appoint Saudi RSGT as CCT operator

The Shipping Ministry has directed the authorities to process the appointment of Saudi Arabia-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI) as operator of the Chittagong Container Terminal, or CCT, expanding the foreign operator’s footprint at the country’s largest seaport.

A ministry letter dated September 28 asks that RSGTI’s proposed appointment as CCT operator be processed following an earlier communication from the Public Private Partnership Authority.

The letter, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Farzana Hossain, refers to RSGTI’s expression of interest in three areas under the public-private partnership model: “CCT and General Cargo Berths” and “The Bay Port-Multipurpose Terminal.”

It cites an August 19 letter from the PPP Authority.

The directive marks a significant step in a process that began earlier this year when RSGTI competed with other domestic and international companies for the CCT.

RSGTI and Dubai-based DP World submitted separate proposals in April to operate the terminal. Local logistics company MGH Group was also in the race, according to reporting at the time. 

The September 28 letter does not state the proposed concession period, financial terms, revenue-sharing arrangement or investment obligations for RSGTI at CCT.

It also does not amount, on its face, to a final concession agreement. Instead, the ministry directs the relevant authorities to proceed with processing the Saudi operator's appointment.

RSGTI had proposed $1 billion investment

RSGTI's proposal was substantially broader than simply operating CCT.

The Saudi company had proposed investing around $1 billion to operate and develop the CCT and General Cargo Berths, according to previously reported details of its proposal. 

CCT is one of Chattogram Port's major container-handling facilities. It handled around 16% of the port's total container throughput in 2025, making the selection of its operator commercially significant. 

The latest move also comes as the government is restructuring the operation of several major port facilities through foreign participation.

The government recently gave in-principle approval to a 15-year agreement for DP World to operate and maintain the New Mooring Container Terminal and its Overflow Container Yard.

RSGTI, meanwhile, is already operating another major Chattogram Port facility.

It became Bangladesh's first foreign port-terminal operator after signing a 22-year concession agreement with the Chattogram Port Authority in December 2023 to equip, operate and maintain the Patenga Container Terminal.

The agreement envisaged around $170 million in investment over the concession period. 

Its performance at Patenga has, however, attracted both criticism and more recent claims of improved productivity.

A 2025 report by The Business Standard found that 15 months into operations, RSGTI had yet to deliver all the equipment it had initially committed to provide, including modern scanners and gantry cranes. The 1,270 crore taka terminal remained underused, according to the report. 

RSGTI's more recent performance has shown a different picture.

In September this year, the company recorded a peak handling rate of 58 container moves, equivalent to 82 TEUs, per hour while handling the CMA CGM vessel MV Wanen at Patenga after deploying new ship-to-shore cranes.

The rate was nearly twice Chattogram Port's historical average of around 30 container moves, according to RSGTI.

The company has also introduced an electronic portal at Patenga to digitise shipment tracking, billing and communication among port users.

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