Tata Steel executes TMT bars multi-modal shipment from West Bengal to Tripura via IBP route

Indian steelmaker Tata Steel said that it has completed the first multi-modal shipment of 960 tonnes of stainless steel TMT bars successfully, from the Haldia Port in West Bengal to Agartala in Tripura.

On the 8th of January 2023, the MV Bulker I barge sailed from the Haldia Port. The first part of the journey took the inland waterways following the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route to the transfer point in Bangladesh’s Ashuganj Port.

The stainless steel TMT bars were then removed and then the next leg of transport through the road to a Land Port Authority of India warehouse located at Agartala at the border between India and Bangladesh was executed.

In the final stage of the journey, trucks were utilized to transfer goods from the Land Port Authority of India warehouse to the warehouse of the distributor in Agartala.

Tata Steel executes TMT bars multi-modal shipment from West Bengal to Tripura via IBP route. Logo courtesy of Tata Steel.

Tata Martrade International Logistics Limited (TMILL) was in charge of all the logistics management for this maiden journey. From departure to receiving materials at the warehouse of the distributor, the transportation was finished in 17 days, said Tata Steel.

In the year 2022, Tata Steel is said to have successfully transported 1,800 tonnes of finished steel products from the Haldia Port to the Pandu Port in Assam using the IBP route through the Brahmaputra River.

The first utilization of Inland Waterways, a historic plan to decarbonize the steel industry as well as the entire nation, was launched by Sarbananda Sonowal, who is the Indian Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ministry of Ayush.

Peeyush Gupta — Tata Steel Vice President of GSP and Supply Chain said: “The Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route serves as a reliable integrated logistics solution for both Bangladesh and India to use inland waterways and will further help expand our consumer reach to better serve the growing North-Eastern market.

“The route exemplifies efficient utilization of the river-sea combination as a mode of transport and multimodal movement. This endeavor supports the objectives of the PM’s Gati Shakti program and is an initiative to lower the Company’s Scope 3 carbon footprint and will contribute to decarbonizing the steel sector.”