SMP Kolkata flags off first trial movement of cargo ship to Myanmar

KOLKATA : A cargo ship was flagged off on Thursday from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (Kolkata) on a trial run to a facility at Sittwe in Myanmar which is funded by India as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, officials said.

Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Shantanu Thakur flagged off the ship. The objective of the project is to provide alternative connectivity to the North East region from Kolkata Port through Sittwe Port up to Paletwa in Myanmar by waterway and Paletwa to Zorinpui by road in Mizoram.

The Port has been built under grant assistance from the Government of India 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 successfully completed the work.

The ship ‘MV-ITT LION (V-273)’ carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement will reach Sittwe Port on May 9, the official said.

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 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 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.