Sarbananda Sonowal to receive first cargo vessel to Sittwe port in Myanmar on May 9

Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will receive the first Indian cargo ship at Myanmar's Sittwe Port on May 9. Addressing a press conference in Assam's Dibrugarh, Sonowal said it will begin regular movement of cargo ships between the Kolkata Port and Sittwe Port, which will unlock tremendous economic potential for the entire Bay of Bengal peninsula.

The inaugural cargo ship, transporting 1,000 metric tonnes of cement in 20,000 bags, was flagged off from Kolkata on Thursday by Union MoS for Ports Shantanu Thakur.

The Sittwe Port in the Rakhine state of Myanmar has been built with grant assistance from India as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).


"We have been able to spearhead the speedy execution of the Sittwe port in Myanmar with an aim to boost the trade prospect of Northeast India in the coming years," Sonowal said.

Apart from India and Myanmar, this port will also unlock huge commercial potential for Bangladesh, Bhutan and even Nepal by acting as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia, he 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 Sittwe Port with Mizoram.

The port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram through road.

Once fully operationalised, KMTTP will provide alternate connectivity from the eastern coast of India to the northeastern states through the Sittwe Port, Sonowal said.

"It is a far more feasible route for trade and commerce, than the existing route via Siliguri to Kolkata as it will save time and money, and ensure efficiency," he added.

In addition to the reduction of traffic on the road, the use of marine transport will bring down the environmental cost of transportation with a drop in fossil fuel carbon emissions, Sonowal said.

Major cargo for export from Sittwe Port includes rice, timber, fish and seafood, petroleum products, garments and textiles, while the major cargo for import includes construction materials such as cement, steel and bricks.