Shri Shantanu Thakur to flag-off the 1st trial cargo vessels from Maia Inland Customs Port on 12th February 2024

Shri Shantanu Thakur to flag-off the 1st trial cargo vessels from Maia Inland Customs Port on 12th February 2024

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context:

• The first trial movement of vessels between Maia Port in India and Sultanganj Port in Bangladesh on Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route no. 5 & 6 is set to take place on February 12, 2024.

More on news:

• The vessels will be flagged off by the Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shri Shantanu Thakur, from Maia Inland Customs Port in West Bengal at 10:30 AM. 
• This development is in line with the Act East Policy of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s government.

Importance of the port:

• The waterway route from Maia (IBP route) to Dhubri (NW-2) via Aricha will reduce the distance by around 930 kilometers compared to the existing waterway route from Dhulian-Maia-Kolkata-IBP-Dhubri.
• The riverine distance between Port of Call Maia in India and Port of Call Sultanganj in Bangladesh is 16 kilometers, out of which 4.5 kilometers of waterways are in India and the rest 11.5 kilometers are in Bangladesh.

Other projects:

• Agreement has been made to implement the decision to start riverine services under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) routes 5 & 6 (Dhulian to Rajshahi extension to Aricha) and 9 & 10 (Daudkandi to Sonamura).

About Port of Call:

• It is an intermediate port where ships anchor for refueling, watering, taking food, repairs, or transhipment of cargo.

Important Places:

• Maia port, Dhulian port : West Bengal
• Dhubri port: Assam
• Sonamura port: Tripura
• Aricha port, Rajshahi port, Daukandi port and Sultanganj port: Bangladesh