MUMBAI (India CSR): UltraTech Cement Limited, India’s largest cement and ready-mix concrete company, is leveraging inland waterways to transport a large consignment of mineral gypsum via National Waterway 1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system) in a pilot project. UltraTech is the first cement company in India to leverage National Waterway 1 for gypsum transport at scale.
1. Flag-Off of Pilot Movement
This pilot movement was flagged off by the Hon’ble Minister of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal at G.R. Jetty, Kolkata today. UltraTech’s participation in the pilot was supported by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Inland & Coastal Shipping Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). 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.
2. Environmental and Logistical Benefits
Use of inland waterways over roadways and railways will result in significant carbon emissions reduction. It will also help decongest roads and rail routes. UltraTech’s participation in the pilot provides a boost to the Government of India’s (GoI) efforts to promote use of inland waterways in the country. The project has been enabled by the GoI’s revised Cargo Movement policy, in line with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
3. Leadership Perspective
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 the Government of India in promoting use of inland waterways in line with 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 realise its Net Zero goal by 2050.”
4. Past Sustainability Efforts
In April 2023, UltraTech leveraged inland and coastal waterways to transport 57,000 metric tonnes of phosphogypsum from Paradeep port in Odisha to UltraTech’s 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, UltraTech aims to cultivate a resilient supply chain that supports its business and mitigates risks.
(India CSR)
