Kolkata, Feb 16: The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways (PSW) and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the maiden voyage of steel cargo laden barge from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata to Pandu port in Guwahati on Wednesday. The cargo will move through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP). The event was also graced by Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur.
Marking yet another historic moment in cargo transportation, via the #IBPRoute.
Happy to flag-off steel cargo laden barge from Haldia Dock of @SMPort_Kolkata to Pandu, Guwahati along with my colleague, MoS Shri @Shantanu_bjp ji. pic.twitter.com/UDDpuxHSmN
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) February 16, 2022
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMPK) and Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Limited (BCPL) to set up a streamlined logistics chain for movement of feed stock for petrochemical complex of BCPL at Lepetkata near Dibrugarh in the presence of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and officials of both organisations along with other government officials.
The maiden voyage is transporting a consignment of 1,798 tonnes of TMT bars, manufactured by Tata Steel Limited in Jamshedpur. The two barges, named DB ABDUL KALAM and DB KALPANA CHAWLA, are carrying 900 tonnes each. After unloading the consignment at Pandu, the barges will return with industrial coal cargo for discharge at Kolkata Dock System (KDS). The barges will move along National Waterway 1 (River Ganga) onto IBPR and finally, on National Waterway 2 (River Brahmaputra).
The MoU will help set up a streamlined logistic chain for movement of feed stock like Naphtha, Propane, Pentane etc. from Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) for Lepetkata in Dibrugarh. On its return leg, the finished products and by-products are to be routed for distribution through the Port for consumption of both domestic and international market.
The project also envisages setting up of tankage facility for storing imported feed stock of BCPL like Naphtha, Propane, Pentane , etc., at Haldia for which HDC, SMPK will provide land and railway connectivity.
