Under the MoU, Rhenus Logistics will deploy 100 cargo vessels along with pusher tugs in a phased manner along NW-1, NW-2, NW-16 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes.
Credit: iwai.nic.in
Mumbai: In a major step towards enhancing green logistics, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has inked a deal with global logistics firm Rhenus Logistics India Pvt Ltd to commence barge cargo services across India’s key national waterways.
Rhenus Logistics is a Germany-based international logistics service provider operating globally in more than 70 countries with an annual turnover of EUR 8.2 billion.
Under the MoU, Rhenus Logistics will deploy 100 cargo vessels along with pusher tugs in a phased manner along NW-1, NW-2, NW-16 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes.
Rhenus will introduce push boats and 20 flat bottom barges from Germany with a capacity of 400 tonnes, which can be combined to transport up to 1,200 tonnes per trip.
During the first phase -- starting from the third quarter of 2025, about 20 barges and six pusher tugs are expected to be deployed in these waterways.
A combination of pushers and barges, to suit low-draft navigation in waterways, will be used to transport both bulk and break-bulk cargo across North and East India, North-East India, and subsequently to neighbouring countries. The operations will gradually be scaled up to include other national waterways in the country.
With over 14,500 kilometers of navigable waterways, including 111 National Waterways, India's Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector, which is governed by IWAI, has seen significant growth. Cargo volumes have increased from 30 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) in 2014 to 133 MMTPA in 2024.
The partnership between IWAI and Rhenus Logistics India is a testament to the success of Jal Marg Vikas Project being implemented with the financial assistance of the World Bank - for the capacity augmentation of National Waterway -1 (River Ganga). Under this project, IWAI is undertaking end-to-end maintenance dredging, building IWT terminals and navigational locks, setting up community jetties and providing navigational aids all along the waterway for smooth and efficient passenger and cargo movement.