Kolkata Port flags off vessel with inaugural shipment to Sittwe Port in Myanmar

kolkata: In a bid to operationalise the Sittwe Port in Myanmar that is soon to be used as a transit port to send cargo to North Eastern states in India, the Syamaprasad Mookherjee Port, erstwhile Kolkata Post, on Thursday, flagged off a vessel carrying the inaugural shipment.

Sittwe Port has been developed under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar for the construction and operation of a Multimodal Transit Transport Facility on the Kaladan River connecting the Sittwe Port in Myanmar with the state of Mizoram in India. The port has been built with grant assistance from the Indian government as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP). The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), as a project development consultant for the implementation of port and IWT components of the work, has completed the work.

On Thursday, the Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur flagged off the vessel ‘MV-ITT LION (V-273)’ from Kolkata Port. It is carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement and will reach Sittwe Port on May 9, 2023.

Kolkata Port authorities said that the Sittwe Port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway, and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram through a road component. Once fully operationalised, KMTTP will provide alternate connectivity from the Eastern coast of India to the Northeastern states through the Sittwe port. The port will open up new opportunities for trade and transit from and to Myanmar, particularly the Rakhine State and further enhance trade and commerce between the two countries and the wider region.

Kolkata Port is presently using ports in Bangladesh for the movement of goods to and from the North-Eastern region and which is being considered a significant step in the Act

East policy.