Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, will flag off the first international cargo voyage from Dibrugarh tomorrow. The maiden voyage will carry methanol to Bangladesh via the Brahmaputra river.
On October 5, 2026, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, will flag off the first international cargo voyage from Dibrugarh, Assam. This significant event marks a return to tradition, as for generations before Independence, the Brahmaputra was Upper Assam's primary link to global markets, and Dibrugarh was one of the region's most important river ports. 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).
Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, will join the ceremony virtually as Chief Guest. The event will be attended by Charan Boro, Minister of Transport, Government of Assam; Rameswar Teli, Minister of Labour Welfare, Government of Assam; Bimal Borah, Minister of Industries, Commerce and Public Enterprises, Government of Assam, as Special Guests. Terash Gowalla, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), along with several MLAs from the region, are also expected to attend.
The ceremony will be organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), together with the Government of Assam and APCL. It will be streamed live on IWAI’s official YouTube channel, IWAI_ShipMin.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
