'No longer a choice': Sarbananda Sonowal reviews India's 'whole-of-ecosystem efforts' in green shipping at TERI campus

Green shipping was the key focus of Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal's visit to The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) Gwal Pahari campus in Gurugram on Thursday.

He was briefed by the National Centre of Excellence for Green Ports and Shipping (NCoEGPS) on India's progress in maritime decarbonisation, particularly about the proposed green shipping corridors and port readiness for alternative fuels.

The NCoEGPS was established in March 2023 to help outline a regulatory framework and alternate technology adoption roadmap for green shipping in India.

Notably, it had been three major port authorities—Deendayal, Paradip, and V.O. Chidambaranar—that had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TERI to bring the green shipping policy arm into force.

Just two years later, these three ports became the only ones in India to be designated as Green Hydrogen Hubs, with the VOC Port Authority (VOCPA) becoming the first maritime facility in India to produce the fuel from its pilot green hydrogen plant.

In the same year, the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Gujarat commissioned a 1 megawatt (MW) green hydrogen plant, in addition to allotting 3,400 acres to green hydrogen and green ammonia developers. Months later in 2026, the Paradip Port Authority (PPA) began work on its proposed ₹797.17 crore green hydrogen jetty under the PP model, after it received the Centre's approval for the same.

Officials from the VOCPA, DPA, and PPA on Thursday presented detailed steps about their progress with green shipping infrastructure. Kamarajar Port Limited also reported that its coal terminals were now equipped with shore power facilities, allowing berthed vessels to draw electricity from land instead of running onboard engines, cutting port emissions.

”Green shipping is not a choice anymore, it is the direction the world is moving in," Sonowal said during the visit, declaring that India was preparing to lead the charge in global maritime decarbonisation.

"From shore power at our coal terminals to bunkering hubs for green fuels, every initiative we saw today takes us closer to a maritime sector that is cleaner, more competitive and future-ready," he added.