First cargo vessel since Independence set to sail abroad from Dibrugarh via Brahmaputra

Nearly eight decades after Independence, Dibrugarh is set to resume international cargo movement through the Brahmaputra, with two vessels carrying 1,080 tonnes of methanol from Bogibeel to Bangladesh, marking the beginning of commercial operations at the newly constructed inland water port.

The methanol, produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APL) at Namrup, will be transported from the Bogibeel port to Bangladesh. Two cargo vessels, around 30 years old, have been prepared for the operation, with each vessel carrying 27 containers.

Each container will hold around 20 tonnes of methanol, allowing each vessel to transport approximately 540 tonnes. Together, the two vessels will carry 1,080 tonnes of methanol on the journey.

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The vessels will travel nearly 783 kilometres from Bogibeel to the Bangladesh border and are expected to complete the journey in around seven days.

The development comes as the Bogibeel inland water port becomes commercially ready for international water transport. The port complex has a customs office, jetty and warehouse, while construction of a lighthouse and a Regional Centre of Excellence is underway.

Poojan Kumar, office in-charge of the Bogibeel port at the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), said the facility, once fully operational, would open up a wider route for transporting products from Assam and the surrounding region to international markets.

Products of Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), polymers, petroleum products, coal and goods linked to the tea industry could be transported through the Brahmaputra, he said.

The waterway could also create export opportunities for agricultural products from Dibrugarh and Upper Assam, including kaji nimbu, bhut jolokia and black pepper, potentially giving local producers access to international markets.

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The development also revives Dibrugarh's historical connection with river-based trade. During British rule, the region was a major trading centre, with goods transported through the Brahmaputra to destinations within India and overseas. Dibrugarh was also among the major revenue-collecting districts during that period.

The proposed commercial cargo movement through Bogibeel is thus expected to create a new trade route for Upper Assam while restoring the Brahmaputra's role as a channel for transporting goods to international markets.