First Cargo Since 1947 Sails From Assam to Dhaka on NW-2
A barge carrying 540 tonnes of methanol has left Dibrugarh for Dhaka, marking the first international cargo voyage from upper Assam since Independence.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the vessel DLB Patkai, pushed by tug Kushal Konwar, from the Bogibeel terminal on October 5. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the ceremony virtually.
The methanol was produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals at Namrup. The vessel will travel about 768 km down the Brahmaputra on National Waterway-2, then continue on the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. The total journey to Narayanganj, Dhaka, is about 1,300 km.
The voyage will test whether the Brahmaputra can work as a commercial freight corridor. Regular methanol shipments are planned, officials said. Sonowal also announced a Rs 200 crore skill development centre for the shipping sector at Bogibeel.
Sonowal announced a Rs 200 crore Skill Development Centre for the shipping sector at Bogibeel, meant to train 50,000 youths over 10 years. Regular methanol shipments are planned if the trial voyage succeeds.
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