As part of the massive green maritime makeover under the Maritime India Vision 2030, India’s ports have been gradually phasing out fossil-fuel-based harbour tugs in favour of electric ones.
When Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Parliament on Saturday about the latest status of these initiatives, the spotlight was on the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
Under it, Deendayal Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Visakhapatnam Port, and V.O. Chidambaranar Port have already placed work orders for electric tugs. This is said to make India’s four busiest harbours among the first in the world to commit to fully electric harbour towing fleets.
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Apart from GTTP, the Centre’s five targets under Maritime India Vision 2030 include:
Renewable energy to power more than 60 per cent of all port energy needs
→ 50 per cent of port equipment to be fully electrified
→ 30 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions per tonne of cargo
→ 20 per cent reduction in fresh water consumption per tonne of cargo
→ 20 per cent of the port land area to be under green belt cover
We, at THE WEEK, reported how the three ports were officially designated Green Hydrogen Hubs under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Among them, the Deendayal Port in Gujarat has already commissioned a 1 MW electrolyser-based green hydrogen plant and allotted 3,400 acres to green hydrogen and green ammonia developers, with a 3.5 million tonne per annum Green Ammonia-compatible jetty already built.
V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tamil Nadu commissioned a pilot green hydrogen plant in April 2025 and is building a green methanol bunkering facility.
Paradip Port in Odisha has a government-approved ₹797.17 crore Green Hydrogen/Ammonia jetty coming up under PPP, with 4 million tonne annual handling capacity.
There are also other initiatives in place, apart from these ports. According to Sonowal, ₹53.39 crore in incentives were paid out to 109 ship recycling yards through the Ferrous Scrap Development Fund, with India doing its part under the Hong Kong International Convention.