Fourth Indian vessel sails to Ctg port in trial transshipment

India sailed its 4th vessel on Sunday, the MV Trans Samudera, from Kolkata's Shyama Prasad Mookerjee port for Chattagram port for a trial trans-shipment of goods to its northeastern states using Bangladesh ports and land roads.

The vessel, carrying 110 containers of rods and other goods, is expected to reach Chattogram port on Tuesday (6 September), said Yakub Bhuiyan, managing director of Mango Line, the shipping agent of the vessel.

"The goods will be transported to the Indian State of Assam through Sylhet, after being released from the seaport," he told The Business Standard (TBS).

Earlier, India sent three consignments to its northeastern states using the Chattogram and Mongla seaports. Apart from this latest shipment, the neighbouring country will also send another vessel this month to complete the trial under an agreement between the governments of India and Bangladesh in October 2018.

The land route between Kolkata and key cities in northeast states is more than 1,200km and using the Chattogram and Mongla ports for trans-shipment will cut the distance to almost half and will facilitate the movement of heavier cargo at a lower cost.

From the MV Trans Samudera, Chattogram Customs will earn Tk7,754 in duties for the trans-shipment and about $70 dollars for clearing the goods, according to port authorities.

 "The ship carrying transit goods will get berthing as per the rules and the transit goods will be released in the same process as earlier. We have made all the preparations," Md Omar Faruk, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, told TBS. 

The handling of India's transit containers will not impact the port's regular activities, he added.