A 13-member delegation from Bangladesh, led by Ministry of Shipping Joint Secretary S M Mostafa Kamal, is on a six-day visit to major ports on India’s eastern coast to assess infrastructure and commercial viability for export-import activities. The delegation includes representatives from Bangladesh’s key ministries and ports. The visit aims to evaluate the technical feasibility and potential for trans-shipment of Bangladeshi cargo through Indian ports.
The delegation, joined by Indian officials, held discussions with port chairmen in Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Vishakhapatnam, Haldia, and Kolkata, exploring the possibility of launching a river cruise service between Dhaka and Vishakhapatnam. They reviewed existing cruise services on the India-Bangladesh Protocol route and considered extending them to coastal routes.
The visit included discussions on returning cargo from Bangladesh to Haldia/Kolkata by inland vessels. The Bangladeshi team noted challenges in export-import commerce through Indian ports. In response, Indian officials committed to providing data analysis and comparisons showing the benefits of using Indian ports over other trans-shipment ports like Colombo, Singapore, and Port Klang.
The Bangladeshi delegation requested detailed comparison reports on costs, time, cargo, and facilities for export-import commerce from India’s east coast ports versus other regional ports. The Indian side asked for details on commodity profiles and destination ports to aid in the relocation process. A stakeholders’ conference in Dhaka will review the data, with findings reported to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Shipping and shared with India through diplomatic channels.
Comment here