UltraTech Cement pilots Gypsum Transport via inland waterway, marks industry first

UltraTech Cement

UltraTech Cement Limited, the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, has initiated a pilot project to transport mineral gypsum via National Waterway 1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system).

This marks the first instance of a cement company in India using National Waterway 1 for gypsum transport on a large scale, the company said in a press statement. The shipment is being moved from Haldia Port in West Bengal to the Gaighat terminal in Patna, Bihar, and will be further transported to UltraTech’s cement grinding unit at Pataliputra Cement Works in Patna.

The project was inaugurated by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at G.R. Jetty, Kolkata, on December 15. The initiative is being supported by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Inland & Coastal Shipping Ltd, a subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).

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UltraTech Cement’s Managing Director, K.C. Jhanwar, highlighted the company’s interest in exploring alternative transport solutions to reduce its carbon footprint. He noted that the project aligns with the government’s efforts to promote inland waterways under the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

In April 2023, UltraTech had also used inland and coastal waterways to transport 57,000 metric tonnes of phosphogypsum from Paradeep Port in Odisha to its Gujarat Cement Works unit in Amreli, Gujarat. This was described as a first-of-its-kind initiative in India.

Separately, UltraTech reported a 36 percent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for Q2 FY25. The profit fell to Rs 820 crore in the July-September period, compared to Rs 1,280 crore in the same period last year. The drop was attributed to a demand slowdown during the monsoon season and delays in projects.

On December 13, the company’s stock closed at Rs 12,083.90, up nearly 2 percent.