PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Feb 25: Tata Steel reiterated its commitment to building a sustainable future by successfully shipping nearly 1,800 tonnes of finished steel products from Haldia Port in West Bengal to Pandu Port in Assam using the Indo-Bangaldesh Protocol (IBP) route via Brahmaputra river.
This shipment of Tata Steel’s TMT bars that arrived at Haldia on the rail before being loaded onto river barges marks the beginning of the use of multimodal logistics, a landmark effort to decarbonise the steel sector and the country.
Earlier last week, Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the barge ‘Kalpana Chawla’ carrying Tata Steel Steel’s finished goods in the presence of Shantanu Thakur, minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, and Peeyush Gupta vice- president (Supply Chain), Tata Steel.
Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union minister, said that this maiden voyage showcases multimodal movement of cargo along with harnessing of the power of the river-sea combination for transportation.
The minister urged other stakeholders to move in the same direction and commitment to make it a grand national success.
Peeyush Gupta, vice- president (Supply Chain), Tata Steel, said: “The Indo Bangladesh Protocol route will help us serve the growing north-east market better. This route can also be explored for servicing other locations en route this waterway to deliver steel in smaller lots and in better condition for the benefit of customers in the northeast.”
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 moved finished goods in its select locations.
