 October 2023The passenger ferry service from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, to Kankesanthurao, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, was inaugurated on 14 October 2023. It is expected to bring the two nations closer together and benefit local traders of both countries, boost tourism, and increase people-to-people relations. Read More Tags: India, Sri Lanka, Shipping, Tourism, Transport |
 March 2023India and Sri Lanka are set to begin a passenger ferry service in April 2023. The ferry service between Karaikal, Puducherry, India, and Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, will commence on 29 April under the new passenger ferry program. Read More Tags: India, Sri Lanka, Transport, Shipping |
 January 2023The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, will receive a loan to expand the terminal’s container handling capacity and attract vessels operating on important international shipping lanes. The Nhava Sheva Container Terminal Financing Project, signed by the ADB and Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal Private Limited, is a $131 million financing package. Read More Tags: ADB, India, Shipping, Ports, Transport |
 March 2022The MV Lal Bahadur Shastri, a cargo vessel of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), arrived at the Pandu Port in Assam, India, on 6 March 2022. This completes a journey that began in Patna Port in Bihar, India. Its route included National Waterway-1, Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route, and National Waterway-2. Read More Tags: India, Bangladesh, Shipping |
 February 2022The Government of India will create a new waterway connectivity on the Gomati river in Tripura that will facilitate improved trade and movement between Bangladesh and India, and ease transport bottlenecks in the country’s northeastern region. Passenger and cargo vessels will use the new route once opened. Read More Tags: Waterways, Transport, Shipping, Bangladesh, India |
 February 2022India flagged off a pilot run of a cargo ship using waterways from Patna Port in Bihar, India, for the Pandu Port in Assam, India, via the Jamuna River,Bangladesh, on 5 February 2022. This 2,350 kilometer route that will be traveled by the carrier MV Lal Bahadur Shastri commenced from India’s western part to its northeastern region, passing through Bangladesh, under the Bangladesh-India Protocol for Inland Water Trade and Transit. Read More Tags: Waterways, Shipping, Transport, Bangladesh, India |
 October 2021A multimodal container depot will be constructed in Chattogram City to enhance the port's capacity to handle imports and goods bound for export. Saif Logistics Alliance Ltd. will invest around Tk 300 crore (around $35 million) to develop the facility on a design-build-finance-operate-maintain-transfer basis. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, Shipping, Ports, Transport, Rail |
 March 2021Bilateral cooperation between the Governments of Bangladesh and the Maldives received a boost with the signing of four MoUs, including a joint commission for comprehensive cooperation and bilateral foreign office consultations. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, Maldives, Trade, Shipping, Connectivity |
 July 2020A new direct shipping service was introduced between the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata, India, and the Chattogram (Chittagong) Port in Bangladesh, through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. It promises to reduce time and cost of transit of goods, as well as lessen dwell time and bring more predictability in shipments. Read More Tags: Shipping, Bangladesh, India |
 February 2020The Government of Bangladesh will introduce procedures to fast-track processing of cross-border trade in Bangladeshi ports. Beginning July, Bangladesh will implement a pre-arrival processing of import documents. Once this is in place, cargo shippers will need to submit an import general manifest and bill of lading to the Customs authority for processing once they depart a port en route to Bangladesh’s ports. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, Trade Facilitation, Shipping |
 February 2020The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, chaired by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, approved the proposal to enhance the capacity of Mongla port. The project is estimated to cost Tk 6,015 crore (around $710.79 million). Mongla port can be used to facilitate transit of goods to and from Bhutan, India, and Nepal. Increasing its capacity will hopefully encourage the three countries to use it further for transit of goods. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, Shipping, Transit Facilitation |
 October 2018Bangladesh and India signed three bilateral memoranda of understanding to strengthen transport between the two countries using inland waterways. The pacts include an agreement for the use of Mongla and Chattogram (formerly Chittagong) ports in Bangladesh for transporting goods to and from India and the operation of cruise vessels on the protocol routes. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, India, Shipping, Transport, Inland waterways |
 October 2018A seminar on inland waterways emphasized on the potential impact of connectivity between India and Nepal. As a cost-effective, safe, and environment-friendly transport option, it could shape the future of trade, tourism, and navigation between India and Nepal, according to Mr. Barsha Man Pun, Minister of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Government of Nepal. Access to India's Haldia port may also open the market to Nepal’s less marketed commodities, noted Mr. Pun. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, India, Shipping, Transport, Inland waterways |
 September 2018The Government of India has tasked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to undertake a study on coastal shipping. The Government aims to analyze constraints to coastal shipping to facilitate seamless connectivity between consumers and producers using the coastal shipping route. ADB is expected to submit a report on coastal shipping issues and suggested recommendations to the Ministry of Shipping in December. Read More Tags: ADB, Shipping, India |
 September 2018A team of technical experts from Nepal undertook an official visit to India to (i) study India’s inland waterway infrastructures in consideration of Nepal's needs, and (ii) hold discussions with their counterparts in India. This field visit follows the meeting between Indian and Nepalese government officials held in July 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Read More Tags: India, Nepal, Trade, Transport, Shipping, Inland waterways |
 September 2018The Bangladesh Cabinet approved the proposal to allow India access to its Chittagong and Mongla ports to transport cargo to its northeastern region. This will reduce transit time and help traders save costs. International rules and the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade will be applied, as well as applicable laws and rules on freight in Bangladesh. Goods bound for India's northeastern region will be carried onboard Bangladeshi vehicles that will be equipped with tracking systems. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, India, Ports, Shipping |
 September 2018The Government of Thailand aims to increase bilateral trade with India by developing Ranong port. According to Mr. Tharadol Thongruang, Minister Counsellor (Commercial), Office of Commercial Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, India, using Ranong port for trade with India’s Kolkata and Chennai ports will reduce distance between the two countries and boost trade. Read More Tags: India, Thailand, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Ports, Shipping, Trade, Connectivity |
 March 2018The Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka emphasized the need for the country to build stronger maritime and air links with Bangladesh to increase bilateral trade and investments. Improving linkages between Sri Lanka's Hambantota/Colombo ports and Bangladesh's Chittagong port will encourage more shipping, tourism, and investments, according to the Ministry. Read More Tags: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Shipping |
 March 2018The Ministry of Shipping of the Government of India will propose to add the Pangaon river terminal into the India-Bangladesh protocol for inland water trade at the upcoming secretary-level talks between the two countries. Located 20 kilometers away from Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Pangaon container terminal can provide a cost-effective means to transport goods between Kolkata and Dhaka. Read More Tags: India, Bangladesh, Shipping |
 March 2018Bangladesh's 'Look East Policy' and Thailand's 'Look West Policy' could be synchronized to create new trade and economic connectivity corridors, according to Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chaon during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali. They discussed a range of bilateral cooperation, including shipping, trade, energy, and those under BIMSTEC. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, Thailand, Shipping, Energy, Trade, Transport |
 October 2017Mr. Abul Maal A. Muhith, Finance Minister, Bangladesh, and Mr. Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister, India, signed the Third Line of Credit (LoC) from India to Bangladesh worth $4.5 billion, to be used for implementation of projects in connectivity. Mr. Jaitley lauded the outstanding relations between the two neighbors after a meeting with Mr. Muhith. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, India, Connectivity, Energy, Rail, Shipping, Road, Ports |
 May 2017India has signed investment agreements worth $31 million at the Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit in New Delhi, India. The agreements form part of the Government of India’s holistic approach to spur infrastructure growth, according to Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport and Shipping Minister, India. Read More Tags: India, Transport, Shipping |
 August 2016The Ministry of Shipping, Government of Bangladesh, has ordered upgrading of the Banglabandha Land Port to cater to rising trade with Nepal. This includes improving and building new loading and unloading sheds, and other needed infrastructure, such as warehouses, vehicle parking, and the road leading to the port. Read More Tags: Shipping, Bangladesh, Nepal, Transport, BBIN |
 July 2016Freight forwarders in Nepal have urged early operationalization of the Vizag Port in India as an alternative port for Nepal trade. According to the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association, ocean freight costs, Customs house agent charges, and other logistic costs can be reduced by directing trade through Vizag Port. Read More Tags: Nepal, Shipping, Trade Facilitation |
 July 2016Plans are underway to open up coastal shipping routes between Bangladesh and India to passenger and cruise vessels. According to Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, the two countries are in talks to sign a memorandum of understanding allowing Indian vessels through Bangladesh's waterways, to ease travel to India's northeast. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, India, Transport, Shipping |
 January 2016Chittagong Seaport attained its 2016 target of handling 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of containers one year early. This announcement was made by the Chittagong Port Authority on 3 January 2015 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan as chief guest. According to Minister Khan, Chittagong Port's container holding capacity increased to 40,000 TEU, owing to a rise in container handling demand, which grew by 700,000 TEU in the last 3 years. Read More Tags: Bangladesh, Trade Facilitation, Trade, Transport, Shipping |
