Historic Voyage: First int’l cargo ship departs Dibrugarh for Bangladesh since independence
New Delhi/Dibrugarh, October 05: For the first time since independence, a cargo ship departed for an international destination from the Bogibeel terminal in Dibrugarh, Assam. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off a vessel carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol for Dhaka, Bangladesh.
On this occasion, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the event virtually.
The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways informed that this methanol has been produced by the state public sector company Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited in Namrup. The cargo ship will travel approximately 1,300 kilometres from Bogibeel to Pangaon port in Dhaka. This includes approximately 768 kilometers of National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra River in India and the subsequent India-Bangladesh Protocol route.
Sonowal said that Dibrugarh was once considered one of the busiest river ports in eastern India. For 70 years, the steamer whistle remained silent here, but today ships are once again sailing from Dibrugarh to the world. He described this as a historic moment for Assam and Northeast India.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that this is a proud day for Assam as products manufactured in the state are now reaching the international market through the state’s own river. The Northeast is no longer a border region of the country, but is becoming India’s gateway to the East.
Union Minister Sonowal said that this is only the beginning. Narendra Modi’s government is striving to restore Dibrugarh to its historic river port glory. The Bogibeel terminal, customs and immigration complex, and regular freight services have provided modern infrastructure to the region.
It is noteworthy that Dibrugarh was a major center of river trade during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Regular water transport services gradually ceased due to the 1947 Partition, the 1950 earthquake, and subsequent circumstances. Regular bookings at the Dibrugarh Ghat ceased on October 15, 1956.
