Guwahati: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday (February 16) flagged off the maiden voyage of barges with a consignment of 1798 MT of finished steel products of Tata Steel Limited from Haldia to Pandu (in Guwahati, Assam) through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBP Route) in presence of Shantanu Thakur, MoS for Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
This maiden voyage showcases multimodal movement of cargo along with harnessing of the power of river – sea combination.
The consignment of steel products of Tata Steel Ltd. has arrived at Haldia Dock Complex through the Railway mode; loaded onto barges.
The barges will be flagged off and will move from Haldia to IWAI Pandu terminal in Assam. The barges will move along NW-I – Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route – NW-II.
In the return leg, the barges will load coal provided by Fuel Sources India Pvt. Ltd. where LSC Solutions is providing ground logistic support along with last mile delivery, and is destined for unloading at SMPK, Kolkata.
The well-knit arterial network of rivers available in the Eastern part of the country coupled with the advantageous position of Haldia Dock Complex, SMPK having well established connectivity by rail, road & inland waterways deep into the hinterland, would add fillip towards optimally realizing the full potential of multi-modal logistic chain in the region.
This paves the way for seamless & robust integrated logistics solutions towards utilising inland waterways and IBP route in a more cost efficient and environment friendly manner thereby benefitting the region and the country as a whole.
