Dibrugarh in Assam is set to resume international cargo movement through the Brahmaputra, with a vessel carrying methanol scheduled to sail from the newly developed Bogibeel Inland Water Transport Terminal to Dhaka in Bangladesh. The operation is being described as the first commercial cargo movement from Dibrugarh through the river to a foreign destination since Independence.

The initiative revives the city’s historic association with inland waterways and international trade. During the British era, East India Company vessels used the Brahmaputra through Dibrugarh to transport goods to destinations across India and overseas. The revival is being driven by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.

Assam Petro-Chemicals (APCL), Namrup, plans to transport methanol to Dhaka using the inland waterway route. Two vessels, each carrying 27 containers, have been prepared for the operation. Every container will carry 20 t of methanol, giving each vessel a capacity of 540 t and the two vessels a combined capacity of 1,080 t.

The vessels are expected to cover the approximately 783-km route from Bogibeel to the Bangladesh border in around seven days. The terminal has customs facilities, a jetty and a warehouse for commercial cargo operations, while a lighthouse and a Regional Centre of Excellence are under construction.

Once fully operational, the terminal could handle products made by Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer (BCPL), petroleum products, coal and tea-related goods. It could also support the movement of agricultural produce such as Assam lemon, Bhut Jolokia and black pepper to international markets. APCL Chairman Bikul Deka said the company had taken two unused vessels from the Assam government’s Inland Water Transport Department on lease and repaired them at Pandu Ghat in Guwahati. He said the route could offer a more economical transport option and strengthen import-export activity in the region.