In A First, Amazon India To Use Rivers And Backwaters To Transport E-Commerce Cargo

E-commerce giant Amazon will soon begin using inland waterways for transportation of customer shipments and products.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal said, “there has been an understanding between the IWAI and Amazon with the main motive to present the power and possibilities of waterways. The maiden ship with e-commerce cargo will be flagged off from Patna to Kolkata soon.”

A pilot will soon be initiated on the National Waterways 1 route between Patna and Kolkata with the support of IWAI and its carriers.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India is implementing the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) for capacity augmentation of National Waterways 1 route — a 1,390-km stretch between Varanasi (in Uttar Pradesh) and Haldia (in West Bengal), at an estimated cost of Rs 4,633.8 crore.

Further, the partnership will not only benefit Amazon by lowering their transportation cost but also open up new possibilities for all e-commerce companies to leverage the extensive inland waterways in India.

In the last few years, Amazon took several steps to build its fulfilment, transportation, and logistics infrastructure in India. In January this year, the company launched Amazon Air in India, making it the first e-commerce company in the country to have a dedicated air cargo network.