In a major development for India's inland waterways, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global logistics giant Rhenus Group to launch scheduled barge services on key National Waterways (NWs). The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, reaffirming the Centre’s push to create a more efficient, eco-friendly, and integrated transport network.

As part of the agreement, Rhenus Logistics India Pvt. Ltd. will gradually deploy 100 barges, beginning with 20 barges and 6 pushers in the first phase. The initial operations aim to move over 1 million tonnes of cargo annually by the end of 2025, with plans to scale up further across more waterways in the coming years.

Operations will initially cover National Waterways 1 (Ganga), 2 (Brahmaputra), and 16 (Barak), as well as the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route, helping improve cargo connectivity in the North, East, and Northeast regions of India. The barges will carry both bulk and break-bulk cargo, using combinations suited to India’s low-draft inland routes.

Highlighting the significance of the MoU, Minister Sonowal said, “This collaboration aligns with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and strengthens our commitment to greener, cost-effective cargo movement. Through this, we are bringing global expertise to revitalise India's rich waterway network.”

Rhenus, which operates over 1,100 barges globally, will introduce best practices from Europe’s inland waterway operations to bolster efficiency in India’s IWT sector.

This partnership also underscores the success of the ‘Jal Marg Vikas’ Project, which aims to improve the capacity of major waterways through dredging, terminal construction, and better navigation systems. IWAI continues to enhance infrastructure with terminals, jetties, and aids for safe and reliable passenger and cargo transit.

The event was attended by MoPSW Secretary T.K. Ramachandran, IWAI Chairman Vijay Kumar, and Rhenus Logistics India CEO Vivek Arya, among other senior officials.

The inland water transport sector has seen rapid growth under MoPSW, with operational waterways increasing from 3 in 2014–15 to 29 in 2024–25. Cargo volumes have jumped from 30 million tonnes per annum to 145.84 million tonnes, contributing to a cumulative movement of over 779 million tonnes over the past decade. With a total of 14,500 km of navigable rivers and 111 declared National Waterways, the sector is set to become a key pillar of India’s multimodal logistics ecosystem.