Collaboration to introduce cargo barge fleet on India's inland waterways

The Inland Waterways Authority of India and German shipping and logistics company the Rhenus Group have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the deployment of a new fleet of cargo barges on India's inland waterways.

Under the MOU, Rhenus Logistics will deploy 100 cargo barges along with pusher tugs in a phased manner along NW-1, NW-2, NW-16 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes. The operations will be gradually scaled up to include other waterways in the country.

Twenty barges and six pusher tugs are slated for deployment under the first phase of the program, which is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of this year. The vessels will be operated in the northern and eastern areas of the country as well as to and from neighbouring countries.

Other activities under the program will include maintenance dredging, installation of aids to navigation, and construction of relevant infrastructure such as jetties, locks and terminals.