First international cargo vessel leaves eastern Assam since 1947
A cargo vessel carrying methanol has departed from Assam's Bogibeel Terminal for Dhaka, marking the first international shipment from eastern Assam since 1947. The initiative aims to test the commercial viability of the Brahmaputra River as a freight corridor for the northeastern region.
Why it matters
This development signifies a major shift in regional logistics and economic connectivity, potentially revitalizing historical trade routes between India and Bangladesh.
A barge carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol left the Bogibeel Terminal in Dibrugarh district for Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday (October 5, 2025), marking the first international shipment from eastern Assam since India’s independence in 1947.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, flagged off the vessel DLB Patkai , pushed by the tug Kushal Konwar , carrying methanol produced by the State-owned Assam Petrochemicals Limited in Namrup.
The vessel, destined for Pangaon port in Dhaka’s Narayanganj, will travel about 768 km down the Brahmaputra River (National Waterway-2) to the India-Bangladesh border, and continue along the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route in the neighbouring country. The total distance is about 1,300 km.
Mr. Sonowal said the cargo shipment is seen as a test of whether the Brahmaputra can serve as a commercially viable freight corridor linking the northeastern region to overseas markets.
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