After Chabahar in Iran, India has gained the rights to operate a second overseas port, Sittwe, in Myanmar.
Key points
- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has approved a proposal for India Ports Global (IPGL) to take over the operations of the entire port located on the Kaladan River.
- The MEA approval means the port will now become an India-operated entity. IPGL is a company 100 per cent owned by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
- Sittwe port development is part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).
- 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.
- Sittwe began receiving cargo from India in May 2023.
- The first consignment of cargo sailed from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata to the port in Myanmar’s sensitive Rakhine state .
- The port offers a significant connectivity advantage for cargo to reach from Vizag and Kolkata to the Northeastern states, bypassing Bangladesh.
