Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways on 4th May, 2023 flagged off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata as the inaugural shipment to operationalise the Sittwe Port in Rakhine State of Myanmar.
- The Port has been built under a grant assistance from the Government of India as part of Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), as a project Development Consultant for the implementation of Port and IWT components of the work, has successfully completed the work.
- Sittwe Port has been developed under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar for the construction and operation of a Multimodal Transit Transport Facility on Kaladan river connecting the Sittwe port in Myanmar with the state of Mizoram in India.
- The port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram through a road component.
- Once fully operationalised, KMTTP will provide alternate connectivity from Eastern coast of India to the North-eastern states through the Sittwe port.