The first-ever consignment of transit shipment to Bhutan through Bangladesh was delivered from Chattogram port on Wednesday night.
The goods are being transported under the “Agreement on the Movement of Traffic-in-Transit” signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan in 2023.
This shipment marks a trial run, after which regular transit transportation may commence if Bhutan expresses satisfaction with the process, according to sources concerned.
Arriving from Thailand, the cargo contains 6,530kg of goods, including shampoo, dried palm fruit, chocolates, and juice. It was exported by Abit Trading Company Ltd of Thailand and imported by Bhutan’s Abit Trading.
According to port and customs sources, the container carrying Bhutan’s goods was loaded in Thailand’s Laem Chabang port on 8 September and reached Chattogram port on 25 September by vessel MV HR Hera.
Following completion of the delivery procedures and realising the required tolls and fees for the transit operations, the assigned clearing and forwarding agent, NM Trading Corporation, began the clearance process last week.
The consignment will be transported through the Burimari land port in Lalmonirhat. Then it will reach the landlocked Bhutan’s Phuentsholing land port using Indian territory as part of the transit route.
For this trial shipment, three agencies – Chattogram Customs, Chittagong Port Authority, and the Road Transport and Highways Division – will get the necessary fees and tolls.
CPA Secretary Omar Faruk said the container carrying the transit cargo was delivered from the port on Wednesday night.
NM Trading Corporation Managing Director Md Shahidul Alam Khan said, “Around 8:30pm, we handed over the container to the customs authorities. With protocol support from customs officers, customs intelligence, and the army, it will be transported to the Burimari land port.”
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
