We Are Working to Make Coastal and Inland Waterways Completely Green in Five Years: TK Ramachandran, Secretary, Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways

Mar 07, 2024

India is targeting an ambitious goal of transitioning its entire coastal and inland waterways shipping to renewable energy within the next five years, Secretary, Ports, Shipping & Waterways announced at FICCI’s Green Shipping & Ports Conclave 2024.

Speaking at the conclave, Mr TK Ramachandran, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, emphasised the urgent need for the maritime sector to embrace sustainability. Whatever we say, whatever we do, we are always talking about green, and green is also part of the 'Panchamrit' commitments which the honourable PM has been talking about,” he stated.

"In five years, it is doable," Ramachandran asserted regarding his ministry's renewable targets. "If not in international shipping, at least coastal and river inland waterways that are under our control, we are working at making that completely green."

The government has identified three strategic hydrogen hubs at Kandla, Thoothukudi, and Paradip to spearhead green hydrogen production. Ramachandran revealed that a pilot ecosystem is being developed at Thoothukudi, where 400 acres have been allocated for companies to set up electrolysers. Funds have also been approved to convert some vessels to run on methanol at the Shipping Corporation of India.

Mr Ramachandran invited companies to engage with hydrogen projects at Thoothukudi and share fresh insights to help frame policies. 

Delivering the welcome address, Mr Rizwan Soomar, Chairman of FICCI's Logistics Committee and CEO & MD of DP World Subcontinent, emphasised the need for a multi-pronged approach involving green fuels, port electrification, and increased multi-modalism to unlock sustainable growth opportunities.

He highlighted that an investment of $2 trillion to set up green fuel facilities at just 10 global ports could meet 60% of international shipping's fuel demand. On the domestic front, Mr Soomar advocated for accelerating the electrification of port equipment and greater adoption of renewable energy sources by ports themselves.

Highlighting the economic and environmental benefits, Mr Soomar said, "A multimodal supply chain using rail or coastal shipping for long-haul can reduce carbon emissions by 30% compared to road transport alone while also lowering costs."

Besides, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General of TERI, emphasised the urgent need for the shipping sector to decarbonise due to the climate crisis and emerging international regulations. She highlighted the National Center for Excellence in Green Ports and Shipping, a collaboration between TERI and the Ministry, which aims to develop decarbonisation pathways, new technologies, standards, and training for green shipping. 

Mr R Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, outlined the government's comprehensive roadmap for greening India's maritime sector. A pivotal policy initiative is the Harit NaukaGuidelines, which chart the transition towards 100% green vessels across inland waterways by 2047. In the near term, efforts are focused on greening 5,000 vessels over the next 7-10 years through electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and methanol-powered solutions. The ministry plans to create five city-based ecosystems to pilot hydrogen fuel cell vessels and understand the full system dynamics. Additionally, two ships have already been sanctioned for retrofitting with methanol engines. Complementing these measures are the Harit Sagar guidelines for greening port ecosystems and the creation of a dedicated Maritime Sector Development Fund to catalyse investments.

Mr Madhu Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard, emphasised that multi-fuel and multidisciplinary approaches will drive the future of maritime transportation. He hailed the recent launch of India's first hydrogen fuel cell vessel by CSL as a significant milestone achieved through an innovative public-private partnership between a PSU and a tech company. Nair underscored that such collaborative teaming is crucial, as no single entity can build cutting-edge solutions alone in the rapidly evolving green shipping landscape. He advocated an open embrace of partnerships to accelerate India's transition to sustainable maritime operations.

On occasion, FICCI-PwC Knowledge Report on Green Shipping & Ports was also released.