Cargo Ship sails from Patna to Pandu heralding a new age of logistics for Assam

Feb 6, 2022 | Business


  • Cargo vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carrying 200 MT food grain sails through a 2,350 kms waterways fromriver Ganga on to river Brahmaputra via Bangladesh IBPR


Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, ShriSarbanandaSonowal flagged off an inland waterway vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri from Patna to Guwahati today. The vessel started its journey from Patna today and is carrying 200 Metric Tonnes of foodgrains headed for Pandu in Guwahati & will travel via Bangladesh to reach the destination by early March, 2022.



The minister also laid the foundation stone for construction of Kalughat intermodal terminal at Saran in Bihar on National Waterway – 1 (river Ganga).


This historic event was also attended by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, PiyushGoyal (virtually); Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Ashwani Kumar Choubey; Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur; Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi; Mangal Pandey, Minister of Health and Family Welfare,  Mr Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Minister of State, Ministry of Shipping, Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Rajiv Pratap Rudy, MP (Lok Sabha); Sushil Kumar Modi, MP (Rajya Sabha); Ravi Shankar Prasad, MP (Lok Sabha) among other dignitaries & senior officials from the state government and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).



The vessel starts its sail on National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata, Haldia, Hemnagar; Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route through Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Chilmari and National Waterway-2 through Dhubri, and Jogighopa covering a distance of 2,350 km. The vessel will take about 25 days to cover the entire voyage and is expected to reach Pandu in Guwahati by early March.


This historic feat will usher a new era of growth for all the states of Northeast India. The waterways will cut through the landlocked access which has been crippling development in the region for long. The waterways not only remove this geographical hindrance on the road of progress in the region but also provides an economical, swift and convenient transportation for the businesses and people of the region.


In line with the “Act East” policy of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has taken up several infrastructure projects on National Waterway-1, Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route, and NW2, through the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). These steps will improve the connectivity with North Eastern Region (NER) through waterways. The Government has undertaken the ambitious Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) with an investment of about Rs. 4600 crore for the capacity augmentation of NW-1 (river Ganga) for safe and sustainable movement of vessels upto 2000 tonnes.


Speaking on this landmark moment, Shri SarbanandaSonowal, said, “This is a historic moment for all of Northeast as we embark to reap the benefit of the most seamless cargo transportation through Brahmaputra. This is not just a journey from Patna to Pandu but it is a journey of unfulfilled desires & aspirations to reach out to a wider world via waterways. The opportunity for the people of Assam & Northeast is tremendous. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister, the Northeast region is no longer relegated but every effort is made to act & unlock the value that the Astalakshmi promises. We are confident that by restarting the cargo movement via waterways is going to play a pivotal role in energising India’s northeast as the engine of growth.”


IWAI aims at running regular scheduled services on these routes. The Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh allows mutually beneficial arrangements for the use of their waterways for the movement of goods between the two countries by vessels of both countries. National Waterway-1 (River Ganga) is connected to National Waterway-2 (River Brahmaputra) and National Waterway-16 (River Barak) through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes. To improve the navigability, two stretches of IBP routes, i.e., Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj are also being developed at a cost of Rs. 305.84 crores on an 80:20 share basis (80% being borne by India and 20% by Bangladesh). The development of these stretches is expected to provide seamless navigation to NER via the IBP route. The contracts for dredging on the two stretches for providing and maintaining requisite depth for a period of seven years (from 2019 to 2026) are underway.


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Hong Kong – Hong Kong enhances air cargo security upon full implementation of ICAO policy direction (with photo)

Jul 1, 2021 | International

Hong Kong enhances air cargo security upon full implementation of ICAO policy direction (with photo)

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     Hong Kong has successfully implemented the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s policy direction on air cargo security, which has come into effect globally today (July 1). The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Victor Liu, expressed his gratitude to the air cargo industry for the sterling efforts of various stakeholders throughout the compliance process.

     “Hong Kong has rolled out 100 per cent security screening for export air cargoes to meet the policy direction, as scheduled. The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has recognised over 130 Regulated Air Cargo Screening Facilities (RACSFs) to conduct air cargo security screening at off-airport locations. Hong Kong’s export air cargoes are now screened, either at the cargo terminals of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) or the RACSFs at off-airport locations. This has enhanced our status as one of the most secure air cargo hubs in the world, representing another milestone in consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an international aviation hub,” Mr Liu said.

     “Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong’s air cargo throughput at HKIA registered a high volume of over 4.5 million tonnes in the 2020-21 financial year. In particular, the volume of export air cargoes showed a strong growth of around 10 per cent over the previous year’s figure. Achieving full compliance with the ICAO’s policy direction amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a highly commendable achievement, which would not have been made possible without the active collaborations of all stakeholders in the air cargo industry. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the solid support, and we will continue to work together to maintain a high level of air cargo security,” Mr Liu added.

     To enhance the level of aviation security around the globe, the ICAO issued a policy direction in September 2016 with a view to strengthening air cargo security. As a way to meet the policy direction, all export air cargoes will be subject to security screening.

     To assist and prepare Hong Kong’s air cargo industry to meet the policy direction, the CAD, in consultation with the trade, launched the RACSF Scheme in October 2018 and invited interested parties to establish and operate air cargo screening facilities at off-airport locations. An 18-month transitional arrangement was implemented from January 2020 to June 2021 to increase the screening percentage for Hong Kong’s export air cargoes to 100 per cent in phases.