IWAI to flag off country’s first container movement on inland vessel

October 29, 2018: Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is set to flag off India’s first container movement on inland waterways. Belonging to the beverage giant PepsiCo (India), the 16 containers will be moved from Kolkata to Varanasi on river Ganga (National Waterway-1).

This would be the country’s first container movement on inland vessel post-independence. PepsiCo (India) will move 16 containers – equivalent to 16 truckloads- filled with food and snacks in the vessel MV RN Tagore which will reach Varanasi in 9-10 days. The vessel will make its return journey with fertilizers belonging to IFFCO that will be procured from its Phulpur plant near Allahabad.

Container cargo transport comes with several inherent advantages. Even as it reduces the handling cost, allows easier modal shift, reduces pilferages and damage, it also enables cargo owners to reduce their carbon footprints.

The government is developing NW-1 (River Ganga) under JMVP from Haldia to Varanasi (1390 Km) with the technical and financial assistance of the World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs 5369 crore. The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT.

The Union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari had flagged off a consignment of Maruti cars from Varanasi to Haldia in August, 2016. Since then pilot movements on National Waterways are currently being done on various stretches. More than 15 of them have already been successfully completed, including integrated movements through NW-1 (Ganga), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route and NW-2 (Brahmaputra). The PepsiCo cargo will be the first container movement on inland waterways in the country.