Transshipment of goods bound for North Eastern states through Bangladesh Ports in an effort to cut logistics costs commenced at Mongla port when the Bangladesh port received the first Indian vessel carrying cargo meant for the landlocked states.
Similar trial transshipment took place in Chattogram port last month
The Multi Modal transportation is part of the bilateral agreement India and entered into with the neighboring country nearly four years ago
Under the agreement signed between India and Bangladesh two major ports Chattogram (Cittagong) and Mongla ports have been designated as transshipment ports for the cargo bound for North east. As of now the transportation of goods from the mainland to the north east is the tedious land route crossing the narrow strip chicken’s neck connecting the
mainland to the North eastern states.
The land route between Kolkata and key cities in northeast states is more than 1,200 km and the use of Chittagong and Mongal ports for trans-shipment will cut the distance to almost fifty per cent. The trans-shipment arrangement will facilitate the movement of heavier cargo at a lower cost and also boost business services and the logistics sector
in Bangladesh
Under this arrangement cargo will be loaded at Kolkata port and move in a ship to either Chattorgram or Mongla ports in Bangladesh and thereafter move to North eastern states either by rail or road in a multi modal transport arrangement which will bring down the logistics cost.
Similar arrangement is also under execution with Myanmar called the Kaladan multi modal transport. But the execution of the project has been postponed due to the political situation in that country.
The Bangladesh customs authorities and security agencies have been empowered under the arrangement to oversee the safe journey of the containers to the Indian border.
The two countries signed the transshipment deal in 2015, followed by a detailed agreement in 2018 and Bangladesh and Indian officials subsequently developed a standard operating procedure (SoP) for its execution. India would run four trial runs ahead of full implementation of the transshipment agreement.
