- Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flags shore power, green bunkering hubs as India eyes lead role in Low-Carbon Maritime Trade
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New Delhi. : Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, visited The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) Gwal Pahari campus in Gurugram today and reviewed a series of green shipping initiatives, positioning the sector’s decarbonisation as a priority area for his ministry.
Sarbananda Sonowal, who planted a tree during the visit to mark the occasion, was briefed on the National Centre of Excellence for Green Ports and Shipping (NCoEGPS), which presented its mandate, ongoing projects and upcoming plans to support the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in advancing maritime decarbonisation.
The visit’s centrepiece was to review on the proposed green shipping corridors and port readiness for alternative fuels, reflecting the government’s push to position India as a hub for cleaner maritime trade routes.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, ”Green shipping is not a choice anymore, it is the direction the world is moving in, and India, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, intends to lead from the front. Our ports must become ready for the fuels of tomorrow, and institutions like TERI are critical partners in getting us there faster.”
The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) presented its work on developing low- and zero-emission shipping corridors, outlining efforts to accelerate adoption of cleaner fuels and technologies across the shipping ecosystem, a key plank of the low-carbon shipping agenda Sonowal has championed since taking charge of the ministry.
Three major ports; Deendayal Port Authority, Paradip Port Authority and V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, presented progress on Green Fuel Bunkering Hubs, detailing steps to strengthen infrastructure for alternative and green marine fuels. Kamarajar Port Limited separately reported that its coal terminals are now equipped with shore power facilities, allowing berthed vessels to draw electricity from land instead of running onboard engines, cutting emissions at port.
The initiatives collectively span green fuel infrastructure, bunkering readiness, shore power and port decarbonisation, and underline the role of coordination between government, ports, research institutions and knowledge partners in delivering on India’s maritime sustainability targets.
Sarbananda Sonowal further added, “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. This is a whole-of-ecosystem effort, and I am confident that with our ports, research partners and industry working together, India will be among the frontrunners in the global shift to green shipping.”
The programme concluded with an interaction session over lunch between the minister, senior ministry officials and stakeholders from the participating ports and institutions.
The visit comes as the MoPSW steps up efforts to build green shipping corridors and bunkering capacity at Indian ports, part of a broader push to align the country’s maritime sector with global decarbonisation timelines. Sonowal has repeatedly flagged green shipping as central to India’s ambitions of becoming a top maritime power, and today’s visit at TERI signalled continued ministerial attention on translating that agenda into port-level execution.
