Assam launches first post-independence cargo barge to Bangladesh via Brahmaputra

A barge carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol left Assam’s Bogibeel terminal on the Brahmaputra river, marking the first cargo departure from Upper Assam to a foreign port since India’s independence. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the launch amid a large gathering of ministers, MPs and MLAs, with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma participating remotely. The methanol, produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd. at Namrup, is destined for Pangaon Port in Dhaka and will traverse about 768 km of National Waterway-2 before crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border and proceeding along the IBPR to Narayanganj, a total journey of roughly 1,300 km.

Authorities view the trip as a pilot for a commercial Brahmaputra freight corridor that could reduce road traffic and fuel consumption. Historical records note that Dibrugarh was once a bustling river port until the mid-1950s, when the ghat closed and trade shifted to rail. Recent investments of over 68 billion rupees in Northeast waterways and the launch of the ‘Jalvahak’ incentive program underpin the revival effort.

The voyage involved the Inland Waterways Authority of India, Assam Petro-Chemicals, Cochin Bunkers Pvt. Ltd. and Bangladeshi partners, and is being promoted as the first step toward regular international river trade from the region.