On May 9, 2023, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and the Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar, Admiral Tin Aung San, jointly inaugurated the Sittwe Port of Myanmar and received the first Indian cargo ship as per an official statement.
The cargo ship was flagged off from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.
According to the statement, this project was conceptualised to provide alternate connectivity of Mizoram with Haldia/Kolkata/any Indian ports through the Kaladan River in Myanmar.
In his remarks at the inaugural ceremony, Sonowal highlighted the close historical, cultural and economic ties between India and the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
He reiterated India’s longest-standing commitment towards the development and prosperity of the people of Myanmar through developmental initiatives like the Sittwe Port.
The Sittwe Port has been developed as a part of the $484 million Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, funded in grant assistance by the Indian government.
The project envisages highway road transport from Mizoram to Paletwa (Myanmar), Sittwe by Inland Water Transport, and Sittwe to any port in India by maritime shipping.
In a series of tweets, Sonowal said, “The Seaport with a maximum capacity of 20,00 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) will make Sittwe the maritime hub of Myanmar, drastically reduce transportation costs of cargo from other parts of India to the Northeast and unprecedented open avenues of economic growth in the region.”
With the development of Sittwe Port, the cost and transportation time of goods between Kolkata, Agartala, and Aizawl will decrease by fifty per cent.
The Minister said that the greater connectivity by the port will lead to employment opportunities and enhanced growth prospects in the region.
This will promote trade and connectivity and people-to-people ties between India and Myanmar and the wider region and will help boost the economic development of Northeastern States under the Act East Policy of the Indian government.
Once fully operationalised, the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Transit Project’s waterway and road components will link India’s east coast with the northeastern states through the Sittwe Port.
The operationalisation of this port will enhance bilateral and regional trade and contribute to the local economy of the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
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