June 14: A train has arrived in Birgunj Dry Port for the first time with containers from the Indian port city of Vishakhapatnam, fifteen  months after the agreement between Nepal and India that allows Nepal transit facilities to use the port. 

The container train arrived on Monday night with 50 containers.  According to Animesh Kumar, Senior Officer of the Himalayan Terminal Pvt Ltd, the port operators, the train arrived in five days from Vishakhapatnam.

 It came with a cargo of 50 containers of furnace oil and mustard seeds, he told Arthik Abhiyan daily.  The train left on June 7 from Vishakhapatnam for Birgunj.  Earlier, the importers used to bring the containers from Kolkata and Haldiya. There was no such transportation from Vishakhapatnam so far.   

Thirty out of the 50 containers has furnace oil. It is imported by the Rauniyar Brothers of Birgunj from Dubai and Kuwait. Likewise, Mahabir Overseas of Birgunj also brought 20 containers of mustard seeds from Australia. The Maersk Shipping Line transported the first cargo from Vishakhapatnam. Most of the shipping companies so far transported containers from Calcutta and Haldiya.

The Maersk Line provides five-day period free for the containers brought to Birgunj, the Himalayan Terminal said.

In Kolkata port, the importers get 14 days free in trade with third countries. Most importers say they have to pay hefty fines to the shipping company for failing to return the containers in time.