Longest ever vessel to sail on Brahmaputra completes pilot run

The longest ever vessel to sail on the Brahmaputra river, the MV Ram Prasad Bismil, accomplished a pilot supply of heavy cargo to the Pandu Port, Guwahati on Tuesday.

The supply marks the start of barging operations from Kolkata to Guwahati by way of the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR), made doable by dredging of key stretches of Brahmaputra by India and Bangladesh governments to allow seamless navigation.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, stated the success of the pilot initiatives allowed “the long-awaited connect for the business of Northeast through the marine network with the rest of the world.” He had flagged off the vessel, which was loaded with 1,793 metric tonnes of metal rods and two barges DB Kalpana Chawla and DB APJ Abdul Kalam, from Haldia on February 16.

A authorities launch stated the pilot run was made doable by mixed efforts at dredging key stretches of the IBPR together with the Sirajganj-Daikowa stretch. “The government of India along with government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh funded the dredging of this stretch — with 80:20 ratio respectively,” it learn. The minimal navigational draft or depth required to sail for the MV Ram Prasad Bismil was 2.0 metres.

The vessel has beforehand carried a consignment of 200 metric tonnes of foodgrains for Food Corporation of India from Patna to Pandu, and
efficiently accomplished the pilot motion of cargo between Ganga, the National Waterway 1 and Brahmaputra, the National Waterway 2.