India Needs A Green Shipping Strategy To Reach Net Zero Goals By 2070

25 February 2023

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, has stated that it is crucial to create a strategy for greening the shipping industry in India, lower pollution levels, and create strategies to implement renewable energy and green hydrogen. He also highlighted the necessity for PPPs with viability gap funding to promote coastal shipping as an affordable, energy-efficient form of transportation for both freight and people.

He stated that with India taking over the G20 Presidency this year and working groups discussing clean energy and green transitions, the significance of inclusive green growth as our development strategy has been reemphasized. Additionally, he said, policies for the green transition must be widely adopted, and new fuel and energy options must be properly evaluated. The Minister attended the Global Sustainable Development Summit 2023, The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) premier annual event. To establish the nation’s first National Center of Excellence in Green Port and Shipping, the Ministry of Ports, Ships, and Waterways (MoPSW) recently linked up with TERI.

The Deendayal Port Authority, the Paradip Port Authority, the VO Chidambaranar Port Authority, and Cochin Shipyard Limited have joined forces to form the NCoEGPS, which will be instrumental in creating a legal framework and a plan for adopting alternative technologies for green shipping in India. According to Shri Sonowal, policies, procedures, and mechanisms must be put in place to support this transformation as inclusive green growth increasingly functions as the pillar on which future development must be based.

According to Shri Sonowal, fuel oil and marine gas oil are responsible for 99% of the energy required by the coastal shipping sector. He stated that the MoPSW has set a target to cut GHG emission in the Indian shipping sector to 30% by 2030 and that the IMO’s vision is to phase out greenhouse gas emissions from the industry as quickly as possible in this century. According to him, the main air pollutants produced by port activities include carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter.

He claimed that major Indian ports are already taking a number of actions to reduce pollution, including switching to a mechanized method of handling dry bulk, expanding the area covered by green space, and converting diesel RTGCs to E/hybrid RTGCs. He also claimed that NCoEGPS will play a crucial role in meeting the pollution reduction goals set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In order to meet the 2030 and 2070 targets, he claimed that a sustainable blue economy must first develop a green shipping sector. The Ministry is working to decarbonize these industries.

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