CHATTOGRAM, Sept 07: A ship, named 'MV Trans Samudera', arrived at the Chittagong port on Tuesday, carrying an Indian transit container to be transported to the Northeastern State of India (Assam) via the territory of Bangladesh.
This movement of cargo is part of the trial runs being undertaken for the operationalisation of an agreement, signed between Indian and Bangladesh in 2018, to use Chattogram and Mongla ports for the transit of goods to and from India. The trial run is being undertaken by Tata Steel and CJ Darcl Logistics Ltd on Chattogram-Sheola-Sutarkandi route.
This is the second shipment of Indian goods to Assam through Shayola (Sylhet)-Sutarkandi (India) land port using the Chittagong port and road route.
According to sources, 'Trans Samudera' reached the Chittagong port at 8:00pm on Tuesday loaded with a total of 124 units of imported goods.
Only one of these containers contains TMT bars as transit goods. After unloading the shipment from the vessel at Chittagong port, the container will reach the state of Assam by road via Shayola Sylhet via Sutarkandi land port in India.
At the same time, another shipment is scheduled to reach the Chittagong port from Dawki in India via Tamabil land port in Sylhet. This shipment is supposed to reach Kolkata by ship from the Chittagong port.
Iqbal Sujan Bhuiyan, managing director of Mango Line - the shipping agent of the MV Trans Samudera, said, "The ship loaded with a total of 124 units of imported goods from Kolkata port arrived at the Chittagong port at 8:00pm last night (Tuesday). One of these containers contains transit goods. The importer of the goods in the remaining containers is a Bangladeshi businessman."
Sources said Chittagong Customs House will earn Tk 7,754 as trans-shipment duty from 'Trans Samudera' and about $70 for the release of goods, said the port authority.
Secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority Omar Faruk said, "The Chittagong port is ready to handle import and export goods under the Bangladesh-India transit agreement."
Once the transshipment starts in full swing, the national economy will be benefited, he said.
Chittagong Customs House will earn revenues and taxes against the transshipment containers, while the Roads and Highways Department will also get revenues in exchange for allowing the goods to be carried using Bangladeshi roads, Mr Faruk explained.
Besides, shipping agents, C&F agents and cargo transportation agents will equally be benefited while handling the containers, he added.
According to the sources, the shipping ministry held an inter-ministerial meeting on July 19 last. The meeting took a decision to give permission for the berthing of Indian ships at the Chittagong port for trial transshipment.
Earlier, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh sent a letter to the ministry in this regard.
It may be mentioned that the trial transshipment between neighbouring Bangladesh and India started on July 21, 2020 when a ship, named 'MV Senjuti', reached the Chittagong port with a total of four transshipment containers.
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