Saudi developer Red Sea Gateway Terminal will begin full-capacity operations at Bangladesh's largest port in Chittagong next month after completing the deployment of new gantry cranes, reported Jeddah's Arab News.

Chittagong Port handled 3.41 million TEU last year, making it the busiest container hub on the Bay of Bengal. RSGT has managed the Patenga Container Terminal since June 2024 under a 22-year agreement with the Chittagong Port Authority.

On Friday, the company installed four custom-built gantry cranes from China's SANY, the final equipment needed to scale up operations. The cranes can lift two 20-foot containers simultaneously and will run entirely on electrical energy, eliminating fossil fuel use.

"Hopefully, we will start operating the new gantry cranes by mid-July. From that moment, we will run the port at full capacity," said Sayed Aref Sarwar, head of commercial and public affairs at RSGT Bangladesh. He added that further expansion could be considered if required.

The Saudi operator is the first foreign company to run a Bangladeshi port terminal. Current throughput of 155,000 TEU will rise to 400,000 TEU this year, about 12 percent of Chittagong's traffic. Next year, volumes are expected to exceed 500,000 TEU, or 17 percent of the port's total.

RSGT has invested US$170 million to modernize Patenga to global standards. The firm employs about 500 permanent staff and 800 contract workers, all Bangladeshi nationals. Employees have received training locally and abroad, including in Saudi Arabia, to address shortages of skilled labor in the country's port industry.