For the first time since Expo Freight Limited (EFL) unveiled a tailor-made logistics solution to handle land-air transshipment from Bangladesh, a cargo of Bangladeshi apparel departed from the Indian airport of Kolkata. The goods were transferred from Bangladeshi trucks to the Indian ones at the Benapole (Bangladesh) – Petrapole (India) border.
From the border, the 4.1 tonne of cargo was taken to the Kolkata airport on GPS enabled trucks. The cargo was than air freighted to reach the terminal destination in Europe within the specified time window.
“We are proud to announce that EFL teams in India & Bangladesh achieved a significant milestone by acting as the key facilitator to handle their very first Bonded Cross-Border Land-Air Transshipment, on behalf of a leading European Retailer. For EFL, this is an initiative that further strengthens the ties between India and Bangladesh and helps enhance regional trade and connectivity to large markets,” EFL said on its website.
The EFL offices in Bangladesh and India worked jointly in handling the cargo of apparel, reports said quoting Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. Through the trial initiative, Kolkata turned out to be a strategic and useful transshipment doorway to Bangladesh for inbound and outbound air transportation, the High Commission said.
The Motor Vehicles Agreement between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) was signed in June 2015 to ensure a smooth transition of cargo and passenger vehicles between the four countries.
Subsequently, in October 2016, EFL was the first to carry a Marks & Spencer shipment from Bangladesh to India. The cross-border transition was made without unloading the consignment and transferring it to another truck at the border, thus reducing both logistics cost and transit time.
