Potential Boost for Regional Trade via East Coast Ports

Bangladesh is exploring the use of Vizag port as a key transit hub for its trade with Sri Lanka. If ongoing talks between the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) of India and Bangladesh succeed, it could significantly enhance trade between the two countries through the east coast ports along the Bay of Bengal.

A delegation from Bangladesh's Ministry of Shipping, led by Joint Secretary S.M. Mostafa Kamal, recently toured four major east coast ports, including Krishnapatnam in Nellore and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The team engaged in discussions with port management to assess their operations, capabilities, and potential for boosting bilateral trade, according to sources from the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA).

"The Bangladesh MoS team visited Chennai port first, then Krishnapatnam, and finally Vizag, where they met with our VPA team led by Chairman M. Angamuthu. They then proceeded to Kolkata for similar discussions. Bangladesh is keen on using VPA as a transit port for its trade with Sri Lanka, given the strategic proximity of our Vizag port to Chittagong port, about 800 nautical miles across the Bay of Bengal," a senior VPA official told The Hindu.

Currently, VPA handles significant cargo traffic with Bangladesh. In the financial year 2023-24, VPA managed 213,466 tonnes of cargo—203,769 tonnes of exports and 9,697 tonnes of imports—though this was slightly lower than the previous year's 248,559 tonnes. Major commodities traded include containers, fuel oil, liquid ammonia, maize, rice, stone aggregate, stone chips, quartzite, and wheat.

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