India keen to operate Bangladesh’s major port
Neighbouring India now wants to operate Bangladesh’s second seaport Mongla, where both New Delhi and Beijing are also keen to invest in new terminal construction.
India already has secured transshipment facilities at Bangladesh’s two seaports in Chittagong and Mongla for carrying cargoes to its landlocked seven-sister states in the North East to avoid travelling over 1,650 kilometres.
Earlier in May, a delegation of India Ports Global Limited, led by its Managing Director Sunil Mukundan, visited Mongla Port to see the facility and had a meeting with high-ups of the port authority where they expressed their interest in operating the port.
“Yes, they came to visit our port and expressed interest to be involved in port operations,” confirmed a senior official of the Mongla Port Authority.
If successfully negotiated, Mongla will be the third international port operation for India after Chabahar Port in Iran and Sittwe in Myanmar, which both are managed by India Ports Global Limited.
The Indian company has been asked to submit a detailed written proposal to the Mongla Port Authority for consideration. The representative of the Mongla Port Authority said the delegation was told that after receiving the proposal it would be evaluated and if found profitable then would be sent to the government for a decision.
The number of departures of China-Europe freight trains exceeded 90 thousand.
A train loaded with a variety of goods left Xi'an, the administrative center of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, for Malaszewicz in Poland on Saturday morning, marking a milestone as the total number of departures of freight trains operating on China-Europe international rail freight routes exceeded 90,000.
According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd, to date, China-Europe freight trains have transported more than 8.7 million TEU /20-foot container equivalent units/ worth $380 billion. US DOLLARS.
From 2016 to 2023, the annual number of China-Europe freight train departures increased from 1,702 to more than 17,000. The value of goods transported by these trains increased significantly from US$8 billion in 2016 to US$56.7 billion in 2023. The value of goods transported by these trains increased significantly from US$8 billion in 2016 to US$56.7 billion in 2023. The value of goods transported by these trains has increased significantly from US$8 billion in 2016 to US$56.7 billion in 2023.
The range of goods transported by China-Europe freight trains has expanded to more than 50,000 different items, including laptops and printers, clothing and footwear, automobiles and spare parts, basic necessities, foodstuffs, timber, furniture, chemicals and equipment.
Open Day within the framework of the VIII China-Russia EXPO
The VIII China-Russia EXPO is being held from May 16 to 21 in Harbin. On Saturday, the first day of the regular work of the EXPO, there was an influx of Chinese and foreign visitors.
The China-Russia EXPO has already become an important platform for promoting bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
China-Europe freight train services posted strong growth in first 4 months
In the first four months of this year, the number of freight train departures on China-Europe international rail freight routes rose 10 percent year on year to 6,184. This was according to data released on Monday by China Railways Corporation
During the reporting period, freight trains carried a total of about 675,000 standard containers /TEU, twenty-foot equivalent unit/ of cargo, up 11 percent year-on-year, the CPRC said.
According to the corporation, as of the end of April this year, the number of China-Europe freight train departures totaled 89,000, while the network services of these routes covered 223 cities in 25 European countries.
Maersk said the risk zone in the Red Sea is expanding
The consequences of the situation in the Red Sea continue to cause disruptions in the maritime transportation industry. The risk zone has expanded, Danish logistics company Maersk writes on its website.
“The consequences of the situation in the Red Sea are expanding and continue to cause disruptions in the industry,” the report notes. - The situation in the Red Sea has escalated over the past few months. To keep our crew, vessels and your cargo safe, we are modifying the route around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future. However, the risk zone has expanded and the attacks are spreading further out to sea.”
The escalating situation has led to longer routes, resulting in additional time and cost to get cargo to its destination. The company points to delays, equipment and capacity shortages.