Thailand is keen to introduce a coastal shipping trading route with Bangladesh connecting its Ranong port with Bangladesh’s Chittagong port.
The Bangladesh mission in Bangkok said on Friday that Ranong Province Governor Suriyan Kanjanasip showed interest in the matter during an official meeting with Ambassador Saida Muna Tasneem at the former’s office on Wednesday.
The Chittagong Port is in the Bay of Bengal while the Ranong Port is located east of the Andaman coast in south-western Thailand.
The governor said Thailand wanted to see Ranong Port as a gateway for connecting Thailand to BIMSTEC countries and as a shipping hub on the Andaman Sea, transporting goods from Thailand to the ports of Yangon, Chittagong, Kolkata, Chennai and Colombo.
He said they were also planning an exchange of expert-level visits between the two ports in the near future.
The aim is to enhance bilateral trade.
The ambassador, replying to the Thai press after the meeting, said a “key” foreign policy focus for Bangladesh was to enhance connectivity with Thailand.
“We are therefore, exploring the feasibility of introducing coastal shipping connectivity”.
The coastal shipping issue between the two countries was first discussed earlier in June this year in the first foreign office consultations.
The ambassador made the visit to see the available capacities and infrastructure of the Ranong Port and assess the feasibility of coastal shipping links between Ranong and Chittagong.
She also had a series of meetings, during the two-day visit, with the leaders of the Ranong Fisheries Industries and business leaders including the President of Ranong Chamber of Commerce and the President of Ranong Federation of Industries.
Source: bdnews24