UltraTech Cement Limited has announced the launch of a pilot project to transport mineral gypsum via National Waterway 1, part of India’s Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system. This marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to promote sustainable logistics. The announcement was made by Sarbananda Sonowal, the Minister of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways, at Kolkata’s G.R. Jetty.
The gypsum consignment is being transported from Haldia Port in West Bengal to the Gaighat Terminal in Patna, Bihar, and will then be taken to UltraTech’s Pataliputra Cement Works, a cement grinding unit in Patna District. This move is aligned with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which emphasize the use of inland waterways to improve sustainability and reduce carbon footprints. K.C. Jhanwar, the Managing Director of UltraTech Cement, emphasized that innovative transport solutions are key to achieving the company’s Net Zero emissions goal by 2050. He also highlighted that the pilot project reflects UltraTech’s commitment to green logistics. In a previous initiative in April 2023, UltraTech successfully transported 57,000 metric tonnes of phosphogypsum from Paradeep Port in Odisha to its facility in Amreli, Gujarat, utilizing both inland and coastal waterways. This pilot project, leveraging National Waterway 1, is another step towards integrating sustainable transport methods in India’s logistics sector.
