Red Sea Gateway Terminal International inaugurates $170m port investment in Bangladesh
Saudi-backed Red Sea Gateway Terminal International has inaugurated a $170 million container terminal in Chittagong, marking Bangladesh’s first international port concession.
The move extends the reach of RSGT, operator of Saudi Arabia’s largest container terminal on the Red Sea, into one of South Asia’s busiest trade corridors and comes as the Kingdom pushes to expand its footprint in global port infrastructure under Vision 2030.
Chittagong Port, which handles roughly 92 percent of Bangladesh’s imports and exports and 98 percent of its containerized cargo, handled a record 3.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2025, a 4 percent year-on-year increase that surpassed the previous record of 3.2 million TEUs set in 2024.
Total cargo volume across the port reached 137.8 million tonnes, up more than 11 percent from the 123.9 million tonnes handled in 2024, underscoring the scale of trade the new Saudi-operated terminal is now plugged into.
“RSGT Bangladesh is a proud demonstration of Saudi capability and vision extending far beyond our borders,” said Lars Vang Christensen, group CEO of RSGT, according to a press release.
“It reflects the ambition, commitment and world-class standards that define RSGT, and we are proud to transfer and employ Saudi expertise and knowledge to support Bangladesh’s primary trade gateway. This is only the beginning of our journey as a leading emerging-markets port operator,” he added.
Bangladesh’s most technologically advanced container facility
RSGT holds a 36.36 percent stake in the project through its investment vehicle, the Red Sea Port Development Co., part of the SISCO portfolio.
Since securing the 22-year concession in 2023, RSGTI has turned the terminal into Bangladesh’s most technologically advanced container facility, doubling capacity from 250,000 to 500,000 TEUs through the installation of four modern ship-to-shore cranes, an upgrade the company says has delivered a 30 percent productivity gain over rival regional terminals.
The Chittagong project cements RSGT’s standing as one of the fastest-growing terminal operators in the region and reinforces Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in global maritime logistics.
A potential $1bn more to come
Building on the venture’s early success, the compaby has signalled interest in committing a further $1 billion to Bangladesh’s maritime sector, a move it says reflects the Kingdom’s long-term commitment to strengthening global trade networks.
The Bangladesh deal is part of a wider push by RSGT and its parent, SISCO Holding, to expand beyond Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
In 2025, RSGT signed 20-year concessions to operate four additional multi-purpose port facilities on the Red Sea, in Yanbu, Jazan and Jeddah, bringing combined handling capacity across its portfolio to around 100 million tonnes, while also opening talks with shipping line CMA CGM over a new container terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port.
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