India’s Inland Waterways Expansion: A Game Changer for Bulk Cargo.

The inland waterways are being developed at an alarming rate and therefore, the logistics market in India is changing tremendously. Companies in the business of transporting bulk cargo, such as raw material, liquids in iso tank containers, or large-volume equipment, have a new opportunity in the change to waterborne transportation.

With India advocating greener, multimodal freight solutions, where sea freight forwarding services, air freight services, and intermodal haulage combine, inland waterways are becoming an important solution in terms of transportation of freight between industrial hubs and ports — and also to the international market, the USA, among other markets.

The prospect is massive: in FY 2024-25, the volume of cargo transported by national waterways had increased to more than 145.53 million tonnes, compared to 18.1 MMT in FY 2013-14 — more than 20 times. This is not merely infrastructure development to exporters, forwarders and depot operators who handle iso containers in Mumbai or tank container in Mundra, but a game changer in the area of logistics.

Minimal Freight Price, and Modal Ineffectiveness

Cargo transport over inland waterways costs less than a quarter of a tonne-km over rail or road. In the case of bulk liquid cargo that is transported using iso container tanks or operated by iso tank operators in India, the result is obvious — reduced transportation costs, reduced road-haul touchpoints, and reduced congestion at terminals.

The Rhenus Logistics India Pvt. Ltd. and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) plan to bring 100 barges to the major waterways are some of the projects that will make a clear change in the route of bulk freight.

To exporters who use the services of the ISO tank depot, or Supply chain management for ISO tanks, this modal change will imply an enhancement in predictability, lessening of the risk on the roads as well as more rigid control of the cost structures.

Access to New Destinations of Exports and Hinterland

Inland waterways also link the belts of industries to the big ports, which enables the exporters to reach a wider market and makes the ocean freight forwarding services more effective.

With emergence of new waterways connecting the production centers to the ports such as iso tank in Nhava Sheva, iso container in Hazira, isotank in India, freight movement is faster, more stable, and extended.

Multimodal connectivity will improve hinterland access — hinterland access will allow the seamless movement of door-to-port shipping without the need to move the facilities inland. The consolidated logistic network through the Best logistics agents in India eases the export route and enhances dependability.

In case of bulk cargo handlers like tank container depots in India, avoidance of road and rail bottlenecks along the ports will lead to fast loading, less demurrage, and better overall efficiency.

Strategic Sustainability and Resilience

With the global supply chains being redefined with the growing interest in ESG, the transition to inland waterways comes with both carbon reduction and resilience. The project is in line with the objectives of Maritime India Vision 2030 and national multimodal logistics plans.

The waterborne transport reduces substantially the emissions of bulk liquid movement in iso tank container or special iso container tank relative to the road-based haulage. It also makes sure to have alternative routing facilities in case the port access or highway use is disrupted.

Logistics chains are more stable, sustainable and not exposed to congestion or any changes in regulations by integrating waterborne segments, which is of crucial importance to exporters who need to ship in large volumes to their destinations such as the USA.

Conclusion: Buy the Water-Way Advantage

The rise of the inland waterways in India is not just an infrastructural tale but it is also a strategic change to the exporters in the country to achieve some cost effectiveness, new markets and less polluting logistics.

You may be loading bulk chemicals into iso tank in Mumbai, cooperating with iso tank operators in India, or handling intermodal cargo by tank container depots in India, new dimensions of performance are provided by inland waterway corridors.

Here at FAK Worldwide we combine sea freight forwarding services, air freight, port agency services with inland waterway solutions — to create smarter, faster, and greener logistics to do business. With our assistance, we can make you a game-changer.

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