Delhi mulls giving Dhaka access to west coast ports

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Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 06:00, Jul 23, 2019 | Updated : 06:00, Jul 23, 2019

WIKIMEDIA COMMONSThe Indian government is considering providing Bangladesh with access to its Jawaharlal Nehru and Mundra ports on the country’s west coast.
Capable of receiving large mother vessels, the ports are around 2,000km away from Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital.
The connectivity with Bangladesh isn’t expected to require additional finance, as several rail projects between the two Asian countries have already begun, according to The Hindu Business Line.
The Bangladeshi government is constructing a bridge over the Padma River, which is expected to benefit both countries.
Currently, Bangladesh’s exports are transported by vessel from the Chattogram port to either Colombo, Singapore or Port of Klang, Malaysia, for transshipment to mother vessels. This is an expensive and time-consuming process.
Bangladesh is keen to establish deep-sea ports, but the country’s limited cargo potential makes that an unviable proposal given the huge investment required.
The Indian government has already offered Bangladesh the right to use the Kolkata port in exchange for access to the Chattogram port. However, sources said that this may not solve Dhaka’s problems as Kolkata is a river port and thus cannot accommodate large vessels.
The report said that other Indian ports on the east coast either haven’t yet experienced container traffic or are affected by low draft.

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