SITTWE PORT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Advances by Myanmar’s anti-junta forces mount pressure on Sittwe port developed by India.

Sittwe Port:

• About: Located in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Sittwe Port is a deep-sea port on the Bay of Bengal, jointly inaugurated by India and Myanmar.
• Kaladan Multimodal Project: Sittwe Port forms a crucial part of the ambitious Kaladan Multimodal Project. The port is expected to enhance trade connectivity and foster people-to-people relations between India, Myanmar, and the wider South Asian region.
• Stimulating Economic Growth: The port is also anticipated to stimulate economic growth in India's North Eastern region, aligning with the government's Act East policy.
• Gateway to South East Asia: Moreover, Sittwe Port is poised to serve as India's gateway to South East Asia, which could catalyze regional growth and development.
• Financing and Construction: Constructed with the objective of creating an alternate connectivity route to North East India, the port was financed through a grant from India and forms part of the $484 million Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).
• Connectivity Components: From Sittwe Port, the route extends to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram via a road component.
• Development Under KMTTP: Sittwe Port has been developed as a part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), funded under grant-in-aid assistance from the Government of India.
• Operational Significance: Once fully operationalized, the waterway and road components of KMTTP will link the East coast of India to the North-eastern states through the Sittwe port.
• Alternative Connectivity Route: This project was conceptualized to provide an alternative connectivity of Mizoram with Haldia / Kolkata / any Indian ports through Kaladan River in Myanmar.