BANGLADESH's Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at the Panagon river port has received the first container ship from India under the Coastal Shipping Agreement signed in 2015 that paves the way for direct cargo vessel movement between the two countries.
The ship, Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1, reached the inland container terminal at Keraniganj with 65 containers on board.
At an event to mark the arrival of the ship that is being hailed as a sign that Bangladesh is making progress in the field of river transport, the nation's Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said that cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days, reported the Press Trust of India.
Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Indian envoy to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina's advisor Salman F Rahman also attended the ceremony.
"The shipping ministry is in the process to procure 36 more ships to boost the use of this network," said Minister Khan, who added that the link between the Pangaon terminal and India will save time and money.
