Sagarmala embarks on 113 projects worth Rs.7,030cr
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Amazon Seller Services Private Limited (Amazon) for promoting cargo movement and transportation of customer shipments & products via National Waterway 1, an inland waterway on Ganga River.
Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal along with Secretary of MoPSW, T. K. Ramachandran and Chairman of IWAI, Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, attended the MoU signing ceremony on 22 Nov 2023.
Collaboratively, IWAI and Amazon are also poised to explore and implement state-of-the-art solutions, addressing the evolving needs of the e-commerce industry and contributing to a greener and more resilient logistics ecosystem.
The collaboration between IWAI and Amazon marks a significant stride in advancing the transportation of e-commerce cargo along our Inland Waterways.
“This partnership seeks to harness the efficiency and sustainability of water transport to optimize logistics, diminish environmental footprints, and promote economic development,” MoPSW said.
According to a World Bank Report, rail and road transport consume 18.5% and 91.6% more fuel than water transport, making it the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
Speaking at the MoU signing, Sonowal said, “This marks another important leaf in the growth story of India’s waterways. The Government is working tirelessly to enable the waterways to become the rejuvenated conduit of growth as India.
“This partnership would be an important step towards enhancing the movement of e-Commerce cargo through our Inland Waterways. The aim of this partnership is to leverage the efficiency and sustainability of water transport to streamline logistics, reduce environmental impact and foster economic growth.
“With the beginning of this service, the artisans, the entrepreneurs and the traders of India’s hinterland will find an opportunity to sell their products in the wider market, both nationally and internationally, reasonably, easily at an affordable cost via an efficient mode of transportation.
“The maiden ship with e-commerce cargo will be flagged off from Patna to Kolkata soon,” the Minister informed dignitaries at the ceremony.
To accelerate water transport within the country, the Sagarmala scheme has embarked upon 113 projects worth Rs.7,030 crores related to RoRo/RoPax and Inland Water Transport.
Out of these projects 15 projects worth Rs.1,100 crores have been completed and 32 projects worth Rs.3,900 crores are under implementation, said the Ministry in an update on Sagarmala.
Amazon will be able to utilize all possible modes of transport in the country, including Rail, Air, Water, and Surface, to ensure faster, cost-effective, sustainable and more reliable delivery of customer packages and provide a wider reach to its millions of sellers.
This partnership will not only benefit Amazon by lowering their transportation cost but also open up new possibilities for all e-commerce companies to leverage the extensive inland waterways in India.
The Inland Waterways has handled 126 MMT cargo so far this year which is in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030 that was launched during the Maritime India Summit 2021.
The Ministry aims to increase cargo volume via inland water transport by more than 200 MMT by 2030 and to achieve a target of more than 500 MMT by 2047, as per the Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 launched during Global Maritime India Summit 2023 on 17 Oct 2023 in Mumbai.
The plan also includes increasing the number of operational waterways to 23 by 2030. Plans are to increase to more than 50 waterways by 2047 as per the Vision Document.
This mode is anticipated to become regular with shipments from other e-commerce platforms as well through the Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) mode. Fiinews.com
