SITTWE PORT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: After Chabahar, India has gained the rights to operate a second overseas port, Sittwe, in Myanmar. 

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. 

oThe 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.
• 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.