A barge carrying 540 metric tons of methanol left Bogibeel Terminal in Dibrugarh for Dhaka, Bangladesh. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the vessel DLB Patkai from Bogibeel, while Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the ceremony virtually. This shipment marks a major milestone for the region.
According to a official release from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways,
it is the first cargo shipped from upper Assam to a foreign port since India independence in 1947. The methanol was produced by state-owned Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd at Namrup and is bound for Pangaon Port in Dhaka. The journey covers a total distance of 1,300 kilometres from Bogibeel to Narayanganj.
The vessel will travel down National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra River to reach the Indo-Bangladesh border before continuing along the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. Customs and immigration complexes were recently set up at Bogibeel and Dhubri to make this trade possible. Officials stated that regular methanol shipments to Bangladesh are planned following this initial voyage.
