After one and a half years since its completion, the recently constructed Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) at the Chittagong Port has been formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which boasts three jetties and an annual capacity to handle 500,000 TEUs of containers, through a virtual program this morning.
Despite the inauguration, the terminal will only become fully operational once a foreign operator is appointed, and the operator installs heavy container handling equipment.
Port users and businesses are emphasising the urgency of making the terminal fully operational to maximise its benefits.
They highlight that vessels berthed at the PCT will experience faster loading and unloading of containers due to its closer proximity to the Karnaphuli estuary compared to existing port jetties.
The Government has nominated the Saudi Arabia-owned Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI) to operate the terminal, but the finalization of the appointment agreement is still pending.
