New Delhi, May 9 (FN Agency) Giving a major fillip to regional connectivity, Union Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister Admiral Tin Aung San jointly inaugurated Sittwe Port in Myanmar’s Rakhine State today, and received the first Indian cargo ship which was flagged off from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata. The Indian Embassy in Myanmar in tweets said: “Unlocking the commercial potential Hon’ble Minister for @shipmin_India Shri @sarbanandsonwal and H.E. Admiral Tin Aung San, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Communications received the maiden cargo vessel ITT LION bringing construction material to Sittwe.”
Sittwe port has been developed under the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project and has been funded under grant assistance by the Government of India. Among those in attendance at the function were Members of the Rakhine State Cabinet and Chief Minister, Rakhine State. The operationalisation of Sittwe Port will enhance bilateral and regional trade as well as contribute to the local economy of Rakhine State of Myanmar. The greater connectivity provided by the Port will lead to employment opportunities and enhanced growth prospects in the region, a statement said.
In his remarks at the inauguration ceremony, Sonowal highlighted the close historical, cultural and economic ties between India and Myanmar, particularly Rakhine State. He reiterated India’s longstanding commitment towards the development and prosperity of the people of Myanmar through developmental initiatives such as the Sittwe Port. This project was conceptualized to provide an alternative connectivity of Mizoram with Haldia/Kolkata any Indian ports through Kaladan River in Myanmar. The project envisages highway/road transport from Mizoram to Paletwa (Myanmar), thereafter from Paletwa to Sittwe (Myanmar) by Inland Water Transport (IWT) and from Sittwe to any port in India by maritime shipping. Haldia to Sittwe port in Myanmar by ship comprises a distance of 539 km; from Sittwe to Paletwa via the Kaladan river by Inland Water Transport is a distance of 158 km; from Paletwa to the Indo-Myanmar Border on the Myanmar side is a distance of 110 km, and from the border to National Highway 54 in India by road is 100 km.
Once fully operationalized the waterway and road components of KMTTP will link the East coast of India to the North-eastern states through the Sittwe port. On May 4, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur had flagged off the inaugural shipment from Kolkata port to operationalise the Sittwe Port. The cargo ship MV-ITT LION (V-273), carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement, was flagged off as part of a trial run for Sittwe. The major cargo for export from Myanmar includes different types of rice, timber, fish, seafood, garments and textiles, whereas Myanmar is likely to import various construction materials like cement, steel and bricks and others from India via Sittwe port. Once the Sittwe port becomes fully operational, it is expected that the vessels will arrive there from different sea routes and the goods will be transported via the Kaladan river towards Paletwa covering 158 kilometres. The goods will then be ferried by trucks (through a 109 km two-lane highway via Kaletwa) to enter India through Zorinpui/Lomasu in the southern tip of Mizoram. From the border those goods will arrive in Lawngtlai town (117 km away) connecting National Highway 54.