Tata Steel | IBP Tata Steel completes maiden multi-modal shipment of TMT bars from West Bengal to Assam via Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route
Kolkata: Tata Steel has successfully shipped nearly 1,800 tonnes of finished steel products from Haldia Port in West Bengal to Pandu Port in Assam using the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route via Brahmaputra River, the company said in a statement.
This shipment of Tata Steel’s TMT bars that arrived at Haldia on rail before being loaded on to river barges marks the beginning of the use of multimodal logistics, a landmark effort to decarbonise the steel sector and the country.
Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit & Trade exists between India and Bangladesh under which inland vessels of one country can transit through the specified routes of the other country.
There are four existing protocol routes are: Kolkata-Pandu-Kolkata, Kolkata-Karimganj - Kolkata, Rajshahi-Dhulian-Rajshahi, Pandu-Karimganj-Pandu.
Earlier last week, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the barge ‘Kalpana Chawla’ carrying Tata Steel finished goods.
The minister noted that the maiden voyage showcases multimodal movement of cargo by harnessing the power of the river-sea combination for transportation.
He urged the other stakeholders to move in the same direction and commit to make it a grand national success.
Tata Steel Vice President Supply Chain Peeyush Gupta said, "The Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route will help us service the growing North East market better. This route can also be explored for servicing other locations enroute this waterway to deliver steel in smaller lots and in better condition for the benefit of customers in the North-East. The initiative paves the way for seamless and robust integrated logistics solution towards utilising inland waterways for India and Bangladesh.”
The IBP route will also help Tata Steel lower its scope 3 carbon footprint. In July 2021, the company had also pioneered the use of electric vehicles to move finished goods in select locations.
The barge is operated by Oceanwhale Shipping Services while cargo handling at the ports is done by TM International Logistics Limited, a logistics joint venture between Tata Steel, NYK Japan and IQ Martrade, Germany.
The barge used the Indo-Bangla Protocol route No.1 & 2 and entered the Brahmaputra River via Chilmari, in Bangladesh and ended its voyage at Dhubri in Assam covering 1,535 Kilometres.
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