Separate dock systems to be developed, says chamber of commerce paper

Separate dock systems should be developed with ship-to-shore handling facility to ease congestion in Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) due to traffic from Chittagong port, a chamber of commerce paper said Wednesday. The separate dock system would help to efficiently handle growing Bangladesh and coastal cargo, an ASSOCHAM paper on shipping, ports, customs and inland waterways said.

The paper also suggested that the separate dock system was necessary since KoPT does not permit transhipment. The permission for transhipment of Bangladesh export cargo via Indian Ports like Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mundra Port will help create a reverse cargo flow from Bangladesh, it said.

Assocham suggested coastal Exim cargo for Bangladesh can have the flexibility to avail direct port entry for exports from Kolkata, instead of container freight station routing so that trade volumes grow. This would serve as revenue incentive," it said.

The Inland Waterways Authority is building coastal shipping infrastructure, including multi-modal terminals till Allahabad beginning from Haldia.

(With inputs from agencies.)