Indian goods for transshipment trial run to reach Chattogram on Monday

Goods from India intended for its north-eastern states will arrive at the Chattogram Port on Monday as part of the first transshipment trial run.

Under an agreement signed between Delhi and Dhaka in 2018, India can use the Chattogram and Mongla ports for supplying goods to its north-eastern states.

After unloading from Chattogram port, Bangladeshi container vessel Prime Mover will carry these products to West Tripura and Assam through Agartala land port.

Earlier, the MV Senjuti left Chattogram port on July 11 for Shyamaprasad Mukherjee port in Kolkata to bring the goods from India.

Mohammad Yaqub Sujan, managing director of Mango Line Limited – an agent of MV Senjuti – said the ship is currently at Haldia port in Kolkata.

The ship arrived on July 16 at Haldia port with the goods from Shyamaprasad Mukherjee port.

This ship has products for the north-eastern states of India as well as those ordered by Bangladeshi importers. The ship will leave Haldia port for Chattogram port on Saturday.

MV Senjuti is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday.

Four containers of goods – two containers with rods and two containers with lentil – will arrive in the first shipment. The shipment of rods belongs to the SM Corporation in West Tripura and the consignment of lentil belongs to Jain Traders of Karimganj, Assam.

The agreement on the use of Bangladeshi ports mentions seven types of tariffs on Indian goods – a processing fee of Tk30, transshipment fee of Tk30 per tonne, escort fee of Tk50, security fee of Tk100, administrative fee Tk100, and scanning fee of Tk245 for each container. Besides, an electric seal and lock fee will also be applicable.

Chattogram Port Secretary Omar Farooq said the goods would be cleared after collecting the fees as per the agreement between the two countries.

SM Shamsuzzaman, a joint commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, said the C&F agent would submit a manual bill of entry for these products.