Shri Sarbananda Sonowal Highlights NE Waterways Growth

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal expressed that India's rapid initiatives to enhance inland waterways—particularly in the Northeast—are creating considerable economic opportunities and bolstering the petroleum supply chain, in addition to enhancing export connectivity from Assam to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia

Addressing the North East Oil & Gas Conclave 2025, the Minister remarked that under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s leadership, enhanced attention to Inland Water Transport (IWT) has enabled smoother, faster cargo movement, lowered logistics expenses, and established a dependable multimodal network for transporting petroleum and industrial goods across the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems.

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 He noted that this renewed push has revived one of the region’s oldest trade routes and revitalised economic activity across the hinterland. Sonowal emphasised that Assam’s river terminals—such as Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj and Badarpur—have become vital centres for cross-border commerce.

These facilities support the export of petroleum and large industrial consignments to Bangladesh and further destinations, significantly reducing travel distance, transit time and fuel usage when compared with road transport.

He also highlighted that the successful transport of over-dimensional cargo (ODC) to the Numaligarh Refinery for expansion, along with ongoing petroleum shipments via inland waterways, clearly demonstrates the efficiency, reliability and long-term viability of river-based logistics. Continuous dredging and fairway upkeep ensure year-round navigability, enabling the smooth movement of heavy cargo essential for refinery operations, exploration activities and downstream industries.

“The Inland Waterways sector today stands as the backbone of energy transportation for the Northeast, reinforcing India’s energy security and unlocking new trade corridors,” Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, noting that annual cargo movement on NW-2 is now approaching 6 lakh tonnes, driven by faster turnaround and reliable navigation.