Assam Makes History as First Methanol Cargo from Upper Assam Sets Sail for Bangladesh

A barge carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol departed from Bogibeel Terminal in Dibrugarh, Assam, for Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 5 October, marking the first cargo shipment from Upper Assam to a foreign port since India's independence in 1947. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the vessel DLB Patkai, which was pushed by the tug Kushal Konwar, while Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the ceremony virtually.

The methanol, manufactured by state-owned Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited at Namrup, is headed for Pangaon Port in Dhaka. The vessel will cover around 768 kilometres along National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra before reaching the Indo-Bangladesh border. It will then continue through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, covering nearly 1,300 kilometres from Bogibeel to Narayanganj in Dhaka. The shipment was made possible after customs and immigration complexes were recently established at Bogibeel and Dhubri. Regular methanol shipments to Bangladesh are now planned, with the voyage also serving as a test of the Brahmaputra's potential as a commercially viable freight corridor connecting India's Northeast with overseas markets.

Sonowal described the development as the revival of a river route that had remained largely silent for seven decades. Recalling the steamers that once operated regularly from Dibrugarh, he said the latest shipment was intended to mark the start of regular voyages rather than remain a one-time movement. He said the development demonstrated the potential of the Brahmaputra to once again connect the region with international markets. Sarma called it a proud moment for Assam, noting that a product manufactured in Namrup was reaching global markets through the state's own river. He also described the Northeast as no longer a frontier, but India's gateway to the East.

Dibrugarh was once among eastern India's important river ports, with government steamers reaching the town from Calcutta by 1856. The Dibru-Sadiya Railway began operations from the Dibrugarh steamer ghat in 1882. By 1913, steamers were travelling up the Brahmaputra to Dibrugarh daily, carrying tea, timber and passengers. The trade was disrupted after the 1947 partition, which cut the route to Calcutta through what became East Pakistan. A 1950 earthquake further affected navigation by altering the riverbed near Dibrugarh. Regular bookings from the ghat ended in 1954, while the port was completely closed on 15 October 1956 as tea shipments shifted to rail. The 1965 India-Pakistan war brought cross-border river trade to a complete halt.

India and Bangladesh signed a river trade protocol in 1972. In 1988, the 891-kilometre Brahmaputra stretch from Sadiya to Dhubri was declared National Waterway-2, although regular cargo movement on the route did not return until December 2017, when cement shipments began moving from Pandu to Dhubri. Activity has expanded since then. Tata Steel barges reached Pandu through Bangladesh in February 2022, while the river cruise ship MV Ganga Vilas travelled from Varanasi to Dibrugarh through Bangladesh in 2023. The Bogibeel passenger and cargo terminal opened in February 2024 after its foundation stone was laid in July 2023, followed by the launch of the Jalvahak cargo incentive programme in December 2024.

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, 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 ₹6,800 crore, equivalent to around $770 million, is being invested in waterway infrastructure across the Northeast. The investment includes further development of National Waterway-2, a ship repair facility at Pandu and improved last-mile connectivity to Pandu Port. Sonowal said India was also working with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar to strengthen regional waterway links. He noted that shifting cargo from roads to rivers could reduce fuel consumption and take trucks off highways.

The voyage involved the Inland Waterways Authority of India, Assam Petro-Chemicals, Cochin Bunkers and partners in Bangladesh. Assam ministers Charan Boro, Bimal Borah and Sushanta Borgohain attended the ceremony, along with Rajya Sabha member Terash Gowalla, Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan, Khowang MLA Chakradhar Gogoi, IWAI chief engineer A K Bansal and APCL chairman Bikul Ch Deka.