Guwahati: A cargo ship on May 4 (Thursday) is scheduled to depart from Kolkata’s Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port as part of a test run for the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project.
The ship will evaluate the amenities at the recently inaugurated port in Sittwe, Myanmar. By offering a different route to India’s northeastern states, which are now constrained by the Siliguri Corridor, the project seeks to increase trade and commerce between India and Myanmar.
The Sittwe Port will act as a second entrance to the North East region once it is operational. The project is a component of the $500 million Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, which aims to boost infrastructure and economic growth in both nations.
It involves building a river port at Paletwa in Chin State, Myanmar, dredging the Kaladan River, building a deepwater port in Sittwe, and improving the roadways from Paletwa to Myeikwa on the Indo-Myanmar border.
The cargo ship will travel from Kolkata to Sittwe, then take a riverboat to Paletwa and a road to Mizoram in Northeast India. SMP Chairman H L Harandh said during a celebration for port customers that the port plans to handle 74-75 million tonnes of cargo in the current fiscal year, up from 65.66 million tonnes in FY’23.
The first cargo ship will leave the Kolkata Port’s Netaji Subhas Dock on May 4 and is anticipated to reach the deepwater port of Sittwe on May 9. The reception ceremony for the cargo ship will be led by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.