Tata Steel completes maiden multi-modal shipment of TMT bars from West Bengal to Assam

Tata Steel completes maiden multi-modal shipment of TMT bars from West Bengal to Assam via Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route

~ First in the Indian steel sector to transport products over inland waterways ~

~ Ships around 1,800 tonnes of finished products from Haldia to Pandu port ~

~ A major step towards decarbonising logistics by leveraging multimodal transportation ~

Kolkata, February 25, 2022: Tata Steel reiterated its commitment to building a sustainable future by successfully shipping nearly 1,800 tonnes of finished steel products from Haldia Port in West Bengal to Pandu Port in Assam using the Indo-Bangaldesh Protocol (IBP) route via Brahmaputra River. This shipment of Tata Steel’s TMT bars that arrived at Haldia on rail before being loaded on to river barges marks the beginning of the use of multimodal logistics, a landmark effort to decarbonise the steel sector and the country.

Earlier last week, Hon’ble Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the barge ‘Kalpana Chawla’ carrying Tata Steel finished goods. Other dignitaries who were present at the inaugural included Shantanu Thakur, Hon’ble Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways; Dr Sanjeev Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Vinit Kumar, Chairman, SPM Port Trust; Peeyush Gupta, Vice President Supply Chain, Tata Steel & Chairman TM International Logistics Limited (TMILL); Ranjan Sinha, Chief Group Shipping, Tata Steel; and Dinesh Shastri, MD, TMILL.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, said that this maiden voyage showcases multimodal movement of cargo by harnessing the power of the river-sea combination for transportation. The Minister urged other stakeholders to move in the same direction and commit to make it a grand national success.

Peeyush Gupta, Vice President Supply Chain, Tata Steel, said: “The Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route will help us service the growing North East market better. This route can also be explored for servicing other locations enroute this waterway to deliver steel in smaller lots and in better condition for the benefit of customers in the North-East. The initiative paves the way for seamless and robust integrated logistics solution towards utilising inland waterways for India and Bangladesh.”

The IBP route will also help Tata Steel lower its scope 3 carbon footprint. In July 2021, the Company had also pioneered the use of electric vehicles to move finished goods in select locations.

The barge is operated by Oceanwhale Shipping Services while cargo handling at the ports is done by TM International Logistics Limited, a logistics joint venture between Tata Steel, NYK Japan and IQ Martrade, Germany. The barge used the Indo-Bangla Protocol route No.1 & 2 and entered the Brahmaputra River via Chilmari, in Bangladesh and ended its voyage at Dhubri in Assam covering 1,535 Kilometres.

About Tata Steel

Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes per annum. It is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world. The group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $21.06 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2021.

A Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM organisation, Tata Steel Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 65,000. Tata Steel has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked amongst top 10 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016. Besides being a member of ResponsibleSteelTM and worldsteel’s Climate Action Programme, Tata Steel has won several awards and recognitions including the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Jamshedpur, Kalinganagar and IJmuiden Plants, and Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17. The Company, ranked as India’s most valuable Metals & Mining brand by Brand Finance, featured amongst CII Top 25 innovative Indian Companies in 2021, received Steel Sustainability Champion recognition from worldsteel for four years in a row, ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2021 from Ethisphere Institute, RIMS India ERM Award of Distinction 2021, and Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting FY20 from ICAI, among several others.