Bangladesh

Indian container ship on trial run reaches Mongla port Bangladesh-India
File photo/Wikimedia Commons/Anjumandana Mongla port

Indian container ship on trial run reaches Mongla port

Bangladesh Live News | @banglalivenews | 08 Aug 2022, 07:12 pm

Own Correspondent, Dhaka, August 8: An agreement was signed between the two countries in October 2018 to supply goods to the northeastern states of India using Chittagong and Mongla ports. As a part of this, India's cargo transshipment ship on trial run has arrived at Mongla port.

On Sunday (August 7) around 7 am, the ship named 'MV Rishad Rayan' anchored at the mouth of the canal at Mongla port.

Mongla Port Authority Harbor Master Commander Sheikh Fakhr Uddin said, "Last August 1, the ship left Kolkata port. The ship arrived at Jetty No. 9 of Mongla port at 8 am on Monday, following which the ship's goods unloading has started."

He said that there are two containers on the ship. One of them has 16 tonnes of iron pipes. After unloading, those will be taken to Meghalaya in India through the Tamabil border.

Another container contains eight and a half tonnes of prefoam. After the unloading, the goods will go to Assam through Bibirbazar border in Comilla.

The trial run is being conducted under the 'Agreement on the Use of Chittagong and Mongla Port for Movement of Goods to and from India (ACMP)' agreement.

According to sources in the Ministry of Shipping, an agreement was signed between the two countries in October 2018 to supply goods to the northeastern states of India using Chittagong and Mongla ports.

Then the first trial run was conducted in July 2020. Then a small cargo ship from Kolkata port reached Chittagong port. From there the goods were taken to Agartala by road. The goods on board were pulses and rods.

But due to various complications including the corona pandemic, there has been no significant progress in this agreement in the last four years.

Later permission was sought from India for trial runs on four routes. However, initially, Bangladesh agreed to provide transshipment through two land ports.