Longest Vessel Ever To Sail On Brahmaputra Anchors At Pandu Port

New Delhi: The Longest Vessel ever to sail on Brahmaputra anchored at Pandu Port here on Tuesday after completing cargo movement from Haldia via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR).

The 90-metre long vessel, MV Ram Prasad Bismil, along with two barges DB Kalpana Chawla and DB APJ Abdul Kalam carrying 1,793 metric tonne of steel rods, successfully completed the pilot run moving heavy cargo from Haldia Dock.

The vessel along with two barges - DB Kalpana Chawla and DB APJ Abdul Kalam - was flagged off from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Haldia by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (PSW) and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal on 16 February, 2022.

"The vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modiji is to energise the Ashtalakshmi potential of Northeast to power the growth engine of India. Under his vision of 'Transformation through Transportation,' we worked tirelessly to rejuvenate the water transport in the region, said Union Minister for Shipping, Ports and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.

''This is not only the cheapest & ecologically most adapt mode of transportation, it also allows the long awaited connect for the business of Northeast through the marine network with the rest of the world,'' he added.

He also said that for the people of Assam, the Brahmaputra is the lifeline. This was understood by the Prime Minister which is why he envisioned to shape the growth of this ecologically sensitive region via a medium that is widespread, economic & environment friendly.

Sonowal also thanked the Prime Minister, the Bangladesh government, Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma and the governments of West Bengal and Bihar for the support provided for the successful completion of this pilot run.

Earlier, MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carried a consignment of 200 MT foodgrains for Food Corporation of India (FCI) from Patna to Pand, successfully completing the Pilot Movement cargo between Patna through Bangladesh to steam into Guwahati via Brahmaputra.

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