540 tonnes of Assam-made methanol shipped from Bogibeel as Brahmaputra’s freight potential gets a fresh test

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

DIBRUGARH, OCTOBER 5, 2026

Dibrugarh’s historic river trade route has received a fresh lease of life, with a barge carrying 540 tonnes of methanol produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd. (APCL) sailing from the Bogibeel terminal for Bangladesh on Monday.

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

The consignment, manufactured at APCL’s Namrup plant, is bound for Pangaon Port in Dhaka. The vessel will cover around 768 km on National Waterway-2 (NW-2), the Brahmaputra, before entering the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. The total voyage from Bogibeel to the Dhaka region will span nearly 1,300 km.

The shipment is being seen as a test of the Brahmaputra’s potential to become a commercially viable freight corridor connecting the industrial centres of the Northeast with overseas markets.

 “This is the first voyage, not the last,” Sonowal said, describing the movement as a revival of Dibrugarh’s historic role as a river port.

Dibrugarh was once among the important river ports of eastern India. Steamers began reaching the town from Calcutta, now Kolkata, in the 19th century, while by the early 20th century regular services transported tea, timber and passengers along the Brahmaputra.

Partition in 1947 disrupted traditional trade routes, while changes in the riverbed following the 1950 earthquake and the shift of tea shipments to rail further reduced river traffic. Regular bookings from Dibrugarh Ghat stopped in 1954 and the ghat was closed in 1956.

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

 

The revival has been supported by new infrastructure, including customs and immigration facilities at Bogibeel and Dhubri, which have enabled international cargo movement from the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra.

The Bogibeel passenger and cargo terminal, whose foundation stone was laid in 2023, became operational in February 2024. The Centre’s Jalvahak cargo incentive programme, launched in December 2024, is aimed at encouraging greater use of inland waterways for freight transportation.

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

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

The Brahmaputra-Bangladesh route has seen increasing activity in recent years. Tata Steel barges reached Pandu through Bangladesh in 2022, while the MV Ganga Vilas river cruise travelled from Varanasi to Dibrugarh through Bangladesh in 2023.

Regular methanol shipments from Assam to Bangladesh are now planned. The voyage involves the Inland Waterways Authority of India, APCL, Cochin Bunkers Pvt. Ltd. and Bangladeshi partners.

 “Every tonne we move on the river means less fuel burnt and fewer trucks on the highway,” Sonowal said, underlining the potential of inland waterways to provide an alternative freight channel.

For Assam, the movement represents more than a revival of a historic route. It puts the Brahmaputra to a new commercial test — as a possible gateway through which the Northeast can reach international markets.