UNB, Keraniganj :
The first container ship, ‘MV Nou Kollan-1’, arrived from Kolkata at Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj under the Coastal Shipping Agreement between Bangladesh and India which India calls a ‘welcome development’.
The agreement, signed during the visit of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in 2015, allows direct sea movement of ships between the two countries.
It has helped ‘greatly improved’ the connectivity between India and Bangladesh by reducing shipping time from 30-40 days to 4-10 days.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Bangladesh, Ashoke Madhab Roy witnessed the inauguration of unloading 65 containers carried by the ship.
Tofail said, the pressure on Chittagong and Mongla container terminals through using the terminal apart from carrying cost reduction. He said buyers from home and abroad will be benefited with the operation of the Pangaon Container Terminal. The Commerce Minister said booths of several banks will be made operational along with Sonali Bank for providing banking facilities to businesspeople.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said they will continue to maintain the container movement operation from India to Bangladesh to save time and cut cost. “For the first time a ship carrying cargo has sailed from Kolkata to Pangaon which is just over 20 km from Dhaka,” said Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla in a message during the ceremony to welcome the arrival of the container ship operated by Riverline Logistics & Transport Ltd.
He said now ships with cargo can complete a journey between Dhaka and Kolkata in just 3-4 days. “This provides an economical and quicker mode of transportation of goods.”
“Today’s event is significant as so far the movement of ships under the agreement was limited between seaports like Chittagong and Vishakhapatnam. Pangaon ICT can also emerge as an alternative to Ashuganj River Port for transshipment of goods to Northeastern India,” Shringla said.
The High Commissioner said it can also decongest the roads and Land Custom Stations through which most of the bilateral trade is taking place now.
The first cargo ship under this framework had sailed from Chittagong to Vishakhapatnam in March last year.
The first container ship, ‘MV Nou Kollan-1’, arrived from Kolkata at Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj under the Coastal Shipping Agreement between Bangladesh and India which India calls a ‘welcome development’.
The agreement, signed during the visit of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in 2015, allows direct sea movement of ships between the two countries.
It has helped ‘greatly improved’ the connectivity between India and Bangladesh by reducing shipping time from 30-40 days to 4-10 days.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Bangladesh, Ashoke Madhab Roy witnessed the inauguration of unloading 65 containers carried by the ship.
Tofail said, the pressure on Chittagong and Mongla container terminals through using the terminal apart from carrying cost reduction. He said buyers from home and abroad will be benefited with the operation of the Pangaon Container Terminal. The Commerce Minister said booths of several banks will be made operational along with Sonali Bank for providing banking facilities to businesspeople.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said they will continue to maintain the container movement operation from India to Bangladesh to save time and cut cost. “For the first time a ship carrying cargo has sailed from Kolkata to Pangaon which is just over 20 km from Dhaka,” said Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla in a message during the ceremony to welcome the arrival of the container ship operated by Riverline Logistics & Transport Ltd.
He said now ships with cargo can complete a journey between Dhaka and Kolkata in just 3-4 days. “This provides an economical and quicker mode of transportation of goods.”
“Today’s event is significant as so far the movement of ships under the agreement was limited between seaports like Chittagong and Vishakhapatnam. Pangaon ICT can also emerge as an alternative to Ashuganj River Port for transshipment of goods to Northeastern India,” Shringla said.
The High Commissioner said it can also decongest the roads and Land Custom Stations through which most of the bilateral trade is taking place now.
The first cargo ship under this framework had sailed from Chittagong to Vishakhapatnam in March last year.
