DIBRUGARH: Assam on Monday marked a significant revival of its inland water transport network as the first cargo vessel from Dibrugarh to a foreign destination since Independence sailed from the newly developed Bogibeel River Port. The vessel Patkai, carrying 540 tonnes of methanol in 27 containers, was flagged off from the Bogibeel terminal for Pangaon Port in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The cargo has been produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APCL) at Namrup. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal formally launched the service, while Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the programme virtually.
Also Read: NEC wraps up Assam projects, sanctions fresh funds
The vessel is expected to cover around 768 kilometres along National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra before reaching the India-Bangladesh border. It will then proceed through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, covering about 1,300 kilometres in total to the Dhaka region. The voyage is being viewed as an important test of the Brahmaputra’s potential as a commercially viable freight corridor connecting the Northeast with international markets. Another vessel is scheduled to follow shortly, with the two vessels together carrying 1,080 tonnes of methanol to Bangladesh. The development also revives Dibrugarh’s historic association with river-based commerce. The town was once a major river port, with steamers carrying tea, timber, passengers and other goods along the Brahmaputra. Regular river operations gradually declined, and the Dibrugarh steamer ghat was eventually closed in 1956.
The Bogibeel terminal, equipped with cargo-handling facilities, a customs office and warehouse, is expected to provide an alternative route for transporting goods from Assam and neighbouring areas to overseas markets. Officials said the waterway could eventually handle a wider range of cargo, including petroleum products, coal, tea-related goods and products of Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited.
