Indian ship with transshipment goods reaches Ctg port
The first ship under the trial run of transshipment of Indian goods to its north-eastern states through Bangladesh berthed at Chattogram port yesterday.
The ship—MV Shejyoti—arrived at the outer anchorage on Monday night and started offloading goods at New Mooring Container Terminal 1 at around 2pm yesterday, said Anamul Haque, director for transport at the port.
The ship left Haldia Port in Kolkata on July 16 with 160 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of goods.
Four TEUs carrying iron and pulse will be transported to Tripura and Assam of India through Akhaura-Agartala land port and Bangladeshi importers brought the rest 156 TEUs for Bangladesh market.
"There are about 100 tonnes of iron and pulse in four containers. These containers will enter India in four lorries from Chattogram port via Akhaura land port," Yakub Sujan Bhuiyan, managing director of Mango Line Ltd and agent of the ship, told The Daily Star.
But he could not confirm when the goods would leave Chattogram port.
"Customs taxation and unloading activities at the port are being hampered due to the rain. It will leave for Akhaura-Agartala land port any time after customs clearance."
The customs authorities have formed a three-member team to ensure safe journey of the containers to the Indian border from the port by road, said Shariful Hasan, join commissioner of Chattogram Custom House.
Chattogram Custom House will collect seven types of tariffs on Indian goods, as per a letter sent from the foreign affairs ministry of Bangladesh to the High Commission of India in Dhaka on July 5.
The charges include Tk 30 for document processing per consignment, Tk 20 per tonne of goods for transshipment, Tk 100 per tonne as security charge, Tk 50 per tonne as escort charge, Tk 100 for other administrative charges, and Tk 254 per container for scanning. Electric lock and seal fees will be charged as per rules.
The irons in the containers belong to SM Corporation, which will be transported to Jirania in West Tripura and the two other containers of pulse will be transported by Jain Traders to Karimganj in Assam, according to the shipment documents.
Based on the outcome of the trial run, full-fledged transshipment of Indian goods will start through Bangladesh, according to officials.
Dhaka and Delhi signed a memorandum of understanding on the use of the Chattogram and Mongla ports in 2015, following years of persuasion from India.
Subsequently, the countries signed an agreement in 2018 and a standard operating procedure (SoP) during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in October last year.
According to the SoP, goods reaching Chattogram and Mongla sea ports would be carried by four road, rail, and water routes to Agartala (Tripura) via Akhaura; Dawki (Meghalaya) via Tamabil; Sutarkandi (Assam) via Sheola, and Srimantpur (Tripura) via Bibirbazar.