India has strong potential to emerge as a hub of green shipbuilding. In India, the government is emphasizing on alternative fuels and renewable energy. A marine industry expert said this on Wednesday. Christina Saenz de Santa Maria, regional manager South East Asia, Pacific and India, Maritime at Norway-based testing, certification and technical advisory services provider DNV, said modernization and upgradation of Indian shipyards is ongoing, while old dockyards are being reopened and Evaluation is being done to add more capacity for green shipbuilding. A rise in global demand is being seen.
Government of India is taking this initiative
According to the news, he said that the Indian government is encouraging investment and technology transfer from Japanese and Korean shipyards to set up shipbuilding and ship repair clusters in the country. This comes at a time when most conventional shipbuilding yards in Asia are fully booked, while demand for green-maritime assets is rising ahead of the phased-out elimination of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, PTI reported. That has been determined by the International Maritime Organization. Santa Maria said shipowners are also investing in new environmentally friendly assets and looking for competitively priced yard space.
According to Santa Maria, DNV had published a white paper titled ‘Indian Coastal Green Shipping Program for 2023’, which studied India’s ability to provide a sustainable future for its maritime industry. Commissioned by the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Mumbai, the paper provides insights into how coastal shipping can reduce India’s carbon emissions and its potential in green shipping based on the successful experience of Norway’s Green Shipping Programme. How can the transition be facilitated?
Upgradation of Indian port infrastructure is also underway
Upgradation of Indian port infrastructure is also underway to support ships running on hybrid models with access to green shipping fuels and alternative fuels. However, this is a long-term fuel development plan that should be initiated in the coming years. He said that the Government of India has emphasized the need to be among the top 10 shipbuilding countries by 2030 and among the top five by 2047. He said India has emerged as one of the stable markets for DNV.
