In a thrust toward sustainable transport, UltraTech Cement Limited is leveraging inland waterways to transport a large consignment of mineral gypsum via National Waterway 1.
India’s largest cement and ready-mix concrete company is leveraging the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system in a pilot project.
Use of inland waterways over roadways and railways will result in significant carbon emissions reduction, UltraTech said in a press release. It will also help decongest roads and rail routes.
The pilot movement was flagged off by Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways, at G.R. Jetty, Kolkata.
The consignment is being shipped from Haldia port in West Bengal to Gaighat terminal in Patna, Bihar, and is being transported to Pataliputra Cement Works, UltraTech’s cement grinding unit located in Patna district, Bihar.
Mr. K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Emerging and innovative transport solutions are a key lever in UltraTech’s shift towards sustainable logistics practices. Through this pilot, we are proud to partner with the Government of India in promoting the use of inland waterways in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. The pilot movement over National Waterway 1 underscores UltraTech’s commitment to green logistics as an enabler to realize its Net Zero goal by 2050.”
In April 2023, the company leveraged inland and coastal waterways to transport 57,000 metric tonnes of phosphogypsum from Paradeep port in Odisha to its integrated manufacturing unit, Gujarat Cement Works, located in Amreli, Gujarat, in a first-of-its-kind initiative in India. Guided by its Sustainable Supply Chain Framework, it aims to cultivate a resilient supply chain that supports its business and mitigates risks.
