📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / অজয় দাস
Business
Dibrugarh Revives Historic River Route, Ships 540 Tonnes Methanol to Bangladesh
✍️ Mid-Day
🗓 05 Oct 2026, 08:47 PM
👁 16
A 540‑tonne consignment of methanol was dispatched from Dibrugarh to Bangladesh, marking the revival of a river corridor last used in 1947.
Dibrugarh, a key commercial hub in Assam, has successfully launched a 540‑tonne methanol shipment destined for Bangladesh. The cargo traveled via a river route that had lain dormant since the year of India's independence, 1947, and its re‑opening underscores growing cross‑border trade initiatives.
The methanol, a chemical used in various industrial processes, was loaded onto barges at the Dibrugarh river port and is expected to reach Chittagong within a few days. Officials from both sides described the movement as a pilot effort to assess the feasibility of regular riverine logistics for bulk chemicals.
Trade experts say the revived corridor could reduce transportation costs and transit time compared with road or rail, while also easing pressure on congested border points. If the trial proves successful, similar shipments of fertilizers, petro‑chemicals and other commodities may follow, strengthening economic ties between the northeastern states of India and Bangladesh.
The Assam government has pledged support for further infrastructure upgrades along the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, aiming to transform the region into a hub for inland waterway commerce. The current shipment is being closely monitored as a benchmark for future policy decisions.
The methanol, a chemical used in various industrial processes, was loaded onto barges at the Dibrugarh river port and is expected to reach Chittagong within a few days. Officials from both sides described the movement as a pilot effort to assess the feasibility of regular riverine logistics for bulk chemicals.
Trade experts say the revived corridor could reduce transportation costs and transit time compared with road or rail, while also easing pressure on congested border points. If the trial proves successful, similar shipments of fertilizers, petro‑chemicals and other commodities may follow, strengthening economic ties between the northeastern states of India and Bangladesh.
The Assam government has pledged support for further infrastructure upgrades along the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, aiming to transform the region into a hub for inland waterway commerce. The current shipment is being closely monitored as a benchmark for future policy decisions.