The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, will flag off the first international cargo voyage from Dibrugarh tomorrow, 5 October 2026, at 11:00 AM at Bogibeel Terminal, Dibrugarh. The Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, will join the ceremony virtually as Chief Guest.
The maiden voyage will carry methanol produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APCL) from Bogibeel to Pangaon Port in Dhaka, Bangladesh, via National Waterway-2 (river Brahmaputra) and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR). It will be the first time since Independence that a cargo consignment sails from Dibrugarh to a foreign port.
For generations before Independence, the Brahmaputra was Upper Assam's main link to the markets of the world, and Dibrugarh was among the region's most important river ports. Tomorrow's flag-off marks the return of that link, reflecting the Government's push to develop inland waterways as a cheaper, greener and more efficient mode of transport for the Northeast.
The ceremony will be attended by Charan Boro, Minister of Transport, Government of Assam; Rameswar Teli, Minister of Labour Welfare, Government of Assam; and Bimal Borah, Minister of Industries, Commerce and Public Enterprises, Government of Assam, as Special Guests.
Presence of Terash Gowalla, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha); MLAs Prasanta Phukan (Dibrugarh), Chakradhar Gogoi (Khowang), Sanjoy Kishan (Makum), Suren Phukan (Digboi), Binod Hazarika (Chabua-Lahowal), Bhaskar Sharma (Margherita), Taranga Gogoi (Naharkatia) and Pulok Gohain (Tinsukia); Sushil Kumar Lohani, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI); and Bikul Ch. Deka, Chairman, APCL is also expected.
The event is being organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and IWAI, together with the Government of Assam and APCL.
The ceremony will be streamed live on IWAI’s official YouTube channel, IWAI_ShipMin. More information on iwai.gov.in and through IWAI’s official social media handles on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.