India’s Ministry of Shipping announced that the country’s Inland Waterways Authority (IWAI) carried out successful berthing operation of a vessel at its newly constructed permanent Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal, on Brahmaputra river (National Waterway-2) in Assam’s Dhubri district, on March 4, 2017.
IWAI’s aims to open opportunities in the region, by bridging the distance and cost for cargo and passenger movement between Dhubri and Hatsingimari, which shares its border with Meghalaya.
The Ro-Ro vessel, MV Gopinath Bordoloi, which was flagged off from Haldia port (West Bengal), via the India-Bangladesh Protocol Route, successfully carried its first load from Dhubri terminal. MV Gopinath Bordoloi is 46.50 metre long and 13.30 metre wide with a draft of 1.50 metre. It has a capacity to transport eight trucks and 200 passengers at a time.
The IWAI vessel will be deployed for Ro-Ro service between Dhubri and Hatsingimari having a total waterway length of 29 KM. This new service will avoid the circuitous route of 220 KM to reach Meghalaya on the opposite side. Dhubri is one of the business hubs of Assam which is connected to Meghalaya presently through a road bridge over river Brahmaputra at Jogighopa. IWAI is also exploring other sites in North East to facilitate quick movement of goods and passengers across the rivers, effectively acting as floating bridges.
Source: Indian Ministry of Shipping
