allworld.mediaNews from all over the world
Cargo vessel departs Dibrugarh for Bangladesh for the first time since independence, waterway trade resumes
Read more
Aaj Tak
www.aajtak.in

Cargo vessel departs Dibrugarh for Bangladesh for the first time since independence, waterway trade resumes

River cargo transport from Dibrugarh (Assam) to Bangladesh has resumed. A cargo vessel departed from Dibrugarh to another country for the first time since gaining independence.

The vessel MV Patkai was dispatched from the new river port of Bogibill to Dhaka, Pangam Port, located in Bangladesh. The opening ceremony was attended by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The vessel carries 27 containers containing 540 tons of methanol produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited. The ship will travel along a river route approximately 783 kilometers long, and arrival in Bangladesh is expected to take about seven days. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma participated in this event via video conference, alongside several ministers, MPs, and senior officials.

Dibrugarh traditionally had close ties with river business, as trading vessels operated there during the British period. Previously, a river port near the Mohan Ghat area existed, but vessel traffic from that area eventually ceased. Now, with the departure of MV Patkai, the process of sending cargo from Dibrugarh down the river has resumed. This service, initiated at the Bogibill port, may play an important role in strengthening ties between Assam and Bangladesh.

Another cargo vessel is planned to depart in the coming days after the first vessel. Together, both vessels will deliver about 1080 tons of methanol to Bangladesh. MV Patkai was sent from the Bogibill river port.

The start of cargo transportation from Dibrugarh is considered significant for Assam's waterborne business. Delivering goods to Bangladesh by river will open up new opportunities for expanding commercial contacts between the two regions. Of particular importance is the dispatch of a cargo vessel from Dibrugarh to another country for the first time since independence, as cargo vessels previously used for trade have reappeared on this river route.

Similar stories

International river trade resumes in Dibrugarh after seven decades
Read more
timesofindia.indiatimes.com

International river trade resumes in Dibrugarh after seven decades

International river navigation resumed in Dibrugarh on Monday after nearly seven decades. Minister of Maritime Transport, Sarbananda Sonowal, ordered a barge carrying 540 metric tons of methanol from the Bogibilla terminal to Dhaka, marking the first cargo shipment from Upper Assam to a foreign port since gaining independence.

The methanol, produced by the state-owned company Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APCL) at the Namrup plant, will travel approximately 768 kilometers along National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra River before reaching the border of India and Bangladesh and continuing via the India-Bangladesh Protocol Route. The journey from Bogibilla to Narayanganj in Bangladesh will cover about 1300 kilometers.

This consignment is viewed as a test of the Brahmaputra's potential as a commercially viable cargo corridor connecting the Northeast with global markets. Regular supply of methanol to Bangladesh is planned, made possible by the recently established customs and immigration facilities in Bogibilla and Dubri.

The resumption of river trade in Dibrugarh occurs almost 70 years after the closure of the historic river ghat. The ghat was closed in 1956 when tea cargo shifted to rail transport, ending regular river bookings from the city.

Sonowal noted that 'our grandparents grew up listening to the steam whistle in Dibrugarh Ghat. For 70 years, this whistle was silent, and ships stopped arriving. Today, a ship is leaving Dibrugarh for the world again. The river never let us down. What it lacked for decades was the will to revive it.'

The vessel DLB Patkai, towed by the tugboat Kushal Konwar, will deliver the cargo to the port of Pangon in Dhaka. The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, virtually attended the launch ceremony.

Sarma called this consignment an important moment for the state, stating: 'Assam's own product, manufactured in Namrup, is now heading to the international market via Assam's own river. The Northeast is no longer a border; it is India's gateway to the East.'

The revival of river connectivity in Dibrugarh is supported by the Bogibilla passenger and cargo terminal, which opened in February 2024, as well as customs and immigration infrastructure and the Jalvahak freight incentive program.

The route has shown growing activity in recent years. Tata Steel barges reached Pandu via Bangladesh in February 2022, and the river cruise liner MV Ganga Vilas traveled from Varanasi to Dibrugarh via Bangladesh in 2023.

The government is also aiming to expand inland waterways as an alternative freight network. According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the movement of goods through India's national waterways increased from 18 million metric tons in 2013-14 to 218 million metric tons in 2025-26.

Over 6800 crore rupees are being invested in waterways across the Northeast, including the development of National Waterway-2, the vessel repair base in Pandu, and the last-mile connectivity to the Pandu port.

Sonowal emphasized that the economic and environmental justification for using waterways is also significant. He stated: 'Every ton we transport by river means less fuel burned and fewer trucks on the highway.'

The government is collaborating with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar to develop regional river links, and the Dibrugarh-Dhaka supply chain could potentially open another cargo route for Northeast products to international markets.

Popular