The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on Friday signed a series of major agreements valued at about ₹3,000 crore to boost cargo movement, passenger transport and river-based tourism in the Northeast. The MoUs were inked during India Maritime Week 2025.
The two primary MoUs were signed with Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd. (APL) and the Government of Assam to strengthen Assam’s inland water transport network and logistics ecosystem.
Under the first agreement, IWAI and APL will collaborate to transport Methanol and Formalin via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route and National Waterways. The initiative will enable exports from IWAI terminals at Bogibeel, Pandu and Jogighopa to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, while also supporting domestic cargo movement through National Waterway-1 and 2. The plan, involving an estimated investment of ₹400 crore, includes procurement of tanker vessels and related infrastructure.
IWAI will extend operational support including navigation assistance, bunkering, firefighting systems and access to its terminals. It will also assist in developing 10 flat-bottom tanker barges of 500–1,000 metric tonnes capacity. APL will manage logistics and vessel operations.
The second MoU with the Government of Assam focuses on developing an Urban Water Transport System — Water Metro — in Tezpur, Guwahati and Dibrugarh along the Brahmaputra. The project aims to integrate water-based mobility with road, rail and bus networks. Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. is conducting a feasibility study. The estimated project cost is ₹1,000 crore.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal chaired a review meeting in Guwahati to assess ongoing waterway projects across Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. The meeting also discussed two proposed Central Sector Scheme projects for Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said the MoUs represent a major step towards transforming the Northeast into a hub of inland waterway connectivity and industrial opportunity under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
To expand river cruise tourism, IWAI signed an MoU worth ₹500 crore with Heritage River Journeys Pvt. Ltd. to develop new cruise vessels and expand operations on national waterways. Another agreement was finalised with the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships to develop river lighthouses and related infrastructure at Bogibeel, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat and Pandu on National Waterway-2.
A landmark MoU of ₹1,000 crore with Rhenus Logistics will enable induction of modern tug-barges on the Ganga and Brahmaputra to improve multimodal cargo logistics. In addition, ₹299 crore has been earmarked for new cruise terminals at Neamati, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat and Guijan.
MoUs were also signed for developing a Regional Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh with a project value of ₹188 crore and for developing a key land parcel in Guwahati at a cost of ₹55 crore.
IWAI reported progress in projects across the Northeast, including infrastructure development on the Tlawng and Chhimtuipui rivers in Mizoram, inland water transport facilities on Doyang Lake and Shilloi Lake in Nagaland, feasibility studies for waterways on the Barak, Imphal and Nambul rivers in Manipur, and DPR preparation for Umiam Lake and the Umngot River in Meghalaya.
In Tripura, work is underway on the ₹24.53 crore project to develop the Gumti River and link it with the Meghna river system in Bangladesh. A study is also being conducted on a cruise service on Dumbur Lake. For Arunachal Pradesh, a proposal has been initiated to develop IWT infrastructure on the Siang River, including terminals and vessels to support passenger mobility and tourism.
Sonowal said the initiatives reflect the commitment of the Modi Government to strengthen river connectivity, trade and tourism in the Northeast. He added that investments worth more than ₹5,000 crore are planned for inland water transport in the region in the coming years.