A barge carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol departed from the Bogibeel terminal on the Brahmaputra river in Dibrugarh for Dhaka, Bangladesh, marking the first cargo shipment from Upper Assam to a foreign port since India gained independence in 1947. The vessel was flagged off on Monday by Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in the presence of several dignitaries, while Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the event virtually. The shipment is being seen as a significant step towards reviving Dibrugarh’s historic role as a river-based commercial centre and strengthening waterway connectivity between the Northeast and international markets.
The methanol, produced by state-owned Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd. at Namrup, is headed for Pangaon Port in Dhaka. From Bogibeel, the vessel will travel around 768 kilometres along National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra before reaching the India-Bangladesh border, after which it will continue through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. The total journey from Bogibeel to Narayanganj in Dhaka is expected to cover about 1,300 kilometres. The voyage is also being viewed as an important test of the Brahmaputra’s potential to operate as a commercially viable freight corridor connecting Assam and the wider Northeast with overseas markets.
The latest shipment revives a river trade history that dates back more than a century. Dibrugarh was once one of eastern India’s important river ports, with government steamers reaching the town from Calcutta by 1856. The Dibru-Sadiya Railway began operating from the Dibrugarh steamer ghat in 1882, while regular steamer services on the Brahmaputra were carrying tea, timber and passengers by the early 20th century. However, the Partition of 1947 disrupted the traditional route through East Pakistan, while the 1950 earthquake altered the riverbed around Dibrugarh. Regular bookings from the ghat ended in 1954 and the facility eventually closed in October 1956 as transportation increasingly shifted to railways.
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Cross-border river trade faced further disruption following the 1965 India-Pakistan war, but India and Bangladesh signed a river trade protocol in 1972, creating the basis for renewed connectivity. The 891-kilometre stretch of the Brahmaputra between Sadiya and Dhubri was declared National Waterway-2 in 1988, although regular cargo movement on the route began much later. A significant step came in December 2017, when cement was transported from Pandu to Dhubri. Since then, activity on the waterway has expanded, with Tata Steel barges travelling to Pandu through Bangladesh in 2022 and the river cruise ship MV Ganga Vilas reaching Dibrugarh from Varanasi through Bangladesh in 2023.
Infrastructure development has also supported the revival of inland water transport in the region. The Bogibeel passenger and cargo terminal, for which the foundation stone was laid in July 2023, became operational in February 2024, while the Jalvahak cargo incentive programme was launched later that year. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has said cargo movement through India’s national waterways increased from 18 million metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 218 million metric tonnes in 2025-26. More than Rs 6,800 crore is also being invested in waterways across the Northeast, including the development of National Waterway-2, a ship repair facility at Pandu and improved last-mile connectivity to Pandu Port.
The shipment from Dibrugarh to Dhaka is therefore being viewed not only as a single cargo movement but as an indication of the wider commercial potential of the Brahmaputra and regional waterways. Sonowal said the movement of Assam-produced methanol to an international market through the state’s own river demonstrated the potential of the Northeast to serve as a gateway to eastern markets. The voyage involves the Inland Waterways Authority of India, Assam Petro-Chemicals, Cochin Bunkers Pvt. Ltd. and partners in Bangladesh. Officials are also looking at stronger waterway links with neighbouring countries, with the broader objective of reducing dependence on road transport, lowering logistics costs and creating more efficient trade routes for the Northeast.
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