UltraTech Cement Limited, the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group and India’s largest cement and ready-mix concrete producer, has set a milestone as the first cement company to transport a bulk consignment of mineral gypsum via National Waterway 1 (NW-1). This waterway, spanning 1,620 km along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system, connects Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal. The pilot consignment was officially launched Yesterday, December 15, at G.R. Jetty in Kolkata by Sarbananda Sonowal, the Minister of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways.
This initiative aligns with the government’s updated Cargo Movement policy, part of the Maritime India Vision 2030 and the broader Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. UltraTech’s involvement in this pilot trade was facilitated by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Inland & Coastal Shipping Ltd, a subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).
The gypsum consignment is being shipped from Haldia Port in West Bengal to the Gaighat terminal in Patna, Bihar. From there, it will be delivered to UltraTech’s Pataliputra Cement Works, a cement grinding unit located in the Patna district.
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Switching to inland waterways for cargo movement offers multiple benefits, including significant carbon emissions reductions and easing road and rail network congestion. This sustainable mode of transport supports the environment and enhances the efficiency of cargo logistics, as noted in the company’s press release. UltraTech’s participation in this initiative marks a step forward in promoting greener and more efficient logistics solutions in the cement industry.
The company mentioned in the press release, “UltraTech’s participation in the pilot boosts the Government of India’s (GoI) efforts to promote the use of inland waterways in the country. The GoI’s revised Cargo Movement policy has enabled the project to be in line with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.”
