INLAND NAVIGATION: A CLEANER & GREENER MODE OF TRANSPORTATION

Infrastructure and industry are always catching up with each other.  Whether one should build up the infrastructure and wait for the industry to catch up or expand the industry and hope that infrastructure will play along is a million dollar question. In last few years one must have come across few of the major infrastructure  initiatives for inland shipping industry. Sagarmala, Jal Marg Vikas, Coastal Economic Regions (CER), port-led development model, multi-modal transportation, Gas based economy, Urja Ganga gas line project and many other projects have been announced in last few years. However, at the ground level, one is yet to see the industry making a real shift to waterborne transportation from grossly over-utilized, congested and uneconomical modes of transportation. Probably industry requires a disruptive step to kick start the adaptation of much economical and environmental friendly inland and coastal waterborne transportation methods.

We have always been trying to keep ourselves in the forefront of this development. We have invested well in developing various designs to cater current and future industrial requirement. We have developed several india-centric designs such as optimized river cargo vessels, non-propelled and self-propelled CSDs, very shallow draft TSHDs and SSHD (stationary suction hopper dredgers), inland feeder gas carriers and CNG/LNG propelled vessels. These designs are developed to address typical requirement of Indian industry to overcome local operational challenges; simplistic designs yet much optimized which can be built in Indian yards using locally manufactured products as far as possible.

We are also working closely with shippers and shipyards to understand their need and translate the same into design. This approach has already started giving results. Clients have realized and moved away from extremities of accepting same age-old standard vessels or going for much expensive foreign products. Now, with Vedam, they have an option of getting a balanced product. Fully designed by Vedam and built in India Cutter Suction Dredgers have already shown very good performance at the field. With usage of modern analysis tools like FEM and CFD, Vedam has develop efficient hull forms and optimized hull steel to pass on the gain in CAPEX and OPEX to both shipyard and operator. A much optimized cargo vessel, specifically designed for NW-1 and NW-2, is already under construction.

Vedam is confident of inland and coastal transportation picking up sooner. Infrastructure is being set, investments are being lined up and industry is excited; We are always there to support the industry whenever it takes off .