Historic Brahmaputra Trade Route Revived As 540-Tonne Methanol Cargo Sails From Dibrugarh To Bangladesh

Guwahati, Oct 5: A 540-tonne consignment of methanol from Assam’s Namrup has set sail from Bogibeel in Dibrugarh for Bangladesh, marking the first cargo movement from upper Assam to a foreign port since Independence and reviving a river trade route that fell silent nearly seven decades ago.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the vessel DLB Patkai, pushed by tug Kushal Konwar, from the Bogibeel terminal on Monday. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the event virtually.

The methanol, produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APCL) at Namrup, is headed for Pangaon Port in Dhaka. The vessel will travel around 1,300 km, covering nearly 768 km along National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra before entering the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route and proceeding towards Narayanganj and Dhaka.

Brahmaputra freight corridor revived

The voyage is being seen as a crucial test of the Brahmaputra’s potential as a commercial freight corridor connecting the Northeast with overseas markets. Regular methanol shipments to Bangladesh are planned.

The movement has been facilitated by the setting up of customs and immigration facilities at Bogibeel and Dhubri, enabling cargo originating in upper Assam to move by river towards an international destination.

Calling the voyage a historic moment, Sonowal said the sound of steamers had disappeared from Dibrugarh decades ago.

“Our grandparents grew up hearing the steamer whistle at Dibrugarh Ghat. For 70 years, that whistle fell silent and the ships stopped coming. Today, a ship leaves Dibrugarh for the world once again,” he said.

“The river never failed us. What it lacked for decades was the will to revive it,” he added.

Assam eyes international markets

Sarma described the movement as a proud moment for Assam, pointing out that a product made in Namrup was now reaching an international market through the state’s river network.

“Assam’s own product, made in Namrup, is now travelling to an international market on Assam’s own river. The Northeast is no longer a frontier. It is India’s gateway to the East,” the Chief Minister said.

Sonowal said the voyage was only the beginning.

“To the youth of Assam I say: dream with this river. The world is no longer far away. It is downstream,” he said.

Dibrugarh's river trade legacy

Dibrugarh was once a major river port in eastern India. Government steamers were reaching the town from Calcutta by the mid-19th century, while the Dibru-Sadiya Railway began operations from the Dibrugarh steamer ghat in 1882.

By the early 20th century, steamers were regularly carrying tea, timber and passengers along the Brahmaputra to Dibrugarh.

The 1947 Partition disrupted the traditional trade route. A 1950 earthquake also altered the riverbed around Dibrugarh. Regular bookings from Dibrugarh Ghat stopped in 1954 and the ghat was closed on October 15, 1956, as tea traffic increasingly shifted to rail.

Cross-border river trade was further disrupted by the 1965 India-Pakistan war. India and Bangladesh signed a river trade protocol in 1972.

Cargo movement gathers pace

The 891-km Sadiya-Dhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra was declared National Waterway-2 in 1988, but regular cargo movement on the waterway began only in December 2017, when cement was transported from Pandu to Dhubri.

River traffic has gradually picked up. Tata Steel barges travelled to Pandu through Bangladesh in February 2022, while the luxury river cruise MV Ganga Vilas reached Dibrugarh from Varanasi via Bangladesh in 2023.

The Bogibeel passenger and cargo terminal, for which the foundation stone was laid in July 2023, was opened in February 2024. The Centre’s Jalvahak cargo incentive scheme was launched later that year to promote inland water transport.

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, cargo movement on India’s national waterways increased from 18 million metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 218 million metric tonnes in 2025-26.

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Investment in Northeast waterways

More than ₹6,800 crore is being invested in waterways in the Northeast, including development of National Waterway-2, a ship-repair facility at Pandu and last-mile connectivity to Pandu Port.

“Every tonne we move on the river means less fuel burnt and fewer trucks on the highway,” Sonowal said, adding that India was working with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar to strengthen regional waterway connectivity.

The voyage involved the Inland Waterways Authority of India, Assam Petro-Chemicals, Cochin Bunkers Pvt Ltd and partners in Bangladesh.

State ministers Charan Boro, Bimal Borah and Sushanta Borgohain, Rajya Sabha member Terash Gowalla, Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan and Khowang MLA Chakradhar Gogoi were among those present. Senior officials of IWAI, APCL and the Assam government also attended the event.