The maiden voyage of steel cargo laden barge is the first-of-its-kind collaborative initiative whereby multiple agencies, viz., Tata Steel, the Railways, the Customs authority, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), and barges operator ‘Ocean Whale,’ and the SMP Port, work together to make it a seamless and successful venture.
Guwahati: The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways (PSW) and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the maiden voyage of steel cargo laden barge from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata to Pandu port in Guwahati on Wednesday (February 16). The cargo will move through the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMPK) and Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Limited (BCPL) to set up a streamlined logistics chain for the movement of feedstock for the petrochemical complex of BCPL at Lepetkata near Dibrugarh in Assam in the presence of the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and officials of both organisations along with other government officials.
The maiden voyage is transporting a consignment of 1798 tonnes of TMT bars manufactured by Tata Steel Limited in Jamshedpur. The two barges, named DB ABDUL KALAM and DB KALPANA CHAWLA, are carrying 900 tonnes each. After unloading the consignment at Pandu, the barges will return with industrial coal cargo for discharge at Kolkata Dock System (KDS). The barges will move along National Waterway 1 (river Ganga) onto IBPR and finally to National Waterway 2 (river Brahmaputra).
The MoU will help set up a streamlined logistic chain for the movement of feedstock like Naphtha, Propane, Pentane etc., from Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) for Lepetkata in Dibrugarh. On its return leg, the finished products and by-products are routed for distribution through the Port for consumption of domestic and international markets. The project also envisages the setting up a tankage facility for storing imported feedstock of BCPL like Naphtha, Propane, Pentane, etc., at Haldia, for which HDC and SMPK will provide land and railway connectivity.
Speaking at this historic occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “Under PM Gati Shakti, the government has envisaged an integrated approach towards communication that is efficient, economical and environment friendly. A synergy between inland waterways and ports is being worked out to serve as a multi-modal logistic hub for handling major EXIM & domestic cargo.”
It is to be noted that an interactive meeting chaired by the Union Minister on January 2 this year with all stakeholders inspired this idea and motivated the industry to realise the potential of inland waterways. This is the first-of-its-kind collaborative initiative whereby multiple agencies, viz., Tata Steel, the Railways, the Customs authority, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), and barges operator ‘Ocean Whale,’ and the SMP Port, work together to make it a seamless and successful venture.
The Union Minister further added, “We, the people of East India, are blessed with a well-knit arterial network of rivers. We want to use this opportunity and connect the Northeast India with the HDC at SMP, which is already connected by railways, road & inland waterways. This will help us optimise the asset like SMP to realise its full potential & allow the people of Northeast India to unlock the huge economic potential that it possesses.”
The Union Minister also inaugurated a water treatment plant with 4 million litre capacity under the Green Port initiative. The minister inaugurated a Helpdesk and a modern training centre to push Ease of Doing business.
