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LITTLE HELPERS: Harbour tugs are vital for port operations like berthing, unberthing, and other ship-assist functions | Photo Credit: mtreasure
In the near future, electric tugboats are expected to replace legacy diesel-powered tugs for manoeuvring and docking cargo-laden vessels at Kandla port in Gujarat. The Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), which operates the major port at Kandla, has placed an order for battery-powered tugboats.
“We have finalised the tender and placed an order for the first electric tugboat. We are the first port in India to do so. This tug is being procured under the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) announced by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in May 2023... We have given the order to Netincon Marketing Pvt Ltd (part of the Kolkata-based Ripley Group),” SK Mehta, Chairman, DPA, told businessline.
The contract involves chartering a 60-tonne bollard pull capacity tugboat for 15 years, along with crew and provisions, excluding electricity and fuel for operations. The daily chartering rate would be ₹6.3 lakh over the 15-year period. “The entire infrastructure for charging the tug will be done by the contractor. We will be providing the power supply,” Mehta said, adding that Kandla has 22 MW of renewable energy projects, mostly wind energy.
Phase-I of GTTP was scheduled to begin on October 1, 2024, and continue until December 31, 2027.
During this phase, four major ports — Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), DPA, Paradip Port Authority and VO Chidambaranar Port Authority — have been asked to procure or charter at least two green tugs each, based on the standardised designs and specifications issued by the Standing Specification Committee (SSC).
JNPA has floated a tender for chartering two green tugs for Jawaharlal Nehru port, near Mumbai, for a 15-year period. “This is currently at a tendering stage. Once we finalise the bidder, we will give a two-year-period for the construction and delivery of the tugs. We expect to finalise the bidders soon,” said Unmesh Wagh, Chairman, JNPA.
The port currently uses 10 diesel-powered tugs.
The country’s leading major port, Paradip, in Odisha, has floated a tender to charter one electric tug of 60-tonne bollard pull. The last date for submission of bids is July 8. Similarly, VO Chidambaranar Port Authority has issued a work order for an electric tug to a Mumbai-based company.
The GTTP entails an investment of around ₹1,000 crore for building the green tugs. The first set of tugs will be battery-powered, with provisions for adopting other emerging green technologies, such as hybrid, methanol and green hydrogen.
By the end of 2040, the government targets transitioning all tugs operating at the major ports to green variants, and thereby usher in a standardised, eco-friendly fleet across the country. Further, beyond 2033, any new tug built in India for use in an Indian port will need to comply with the GTTP’s approved standard tug design specification.
According to the Maritime India Vision 2030, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020, each of the 12 major ports in the country should source 60 per cent of electricity demand from renewable sources and achieve a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions per tonne of cargo by 2030. Building on this, the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, introduced in 2023, sets a specific goal for major ports to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from port vessels by 30 per cent by 2030.
Harbour tugs, vital for port operations like berthing, unberthing and other ship-assist functions, are ideal candidates for adopting green technologies, such as electric propulsion and alternative fuels, which can significantly cut emissions while maintaining the operational efficiency.
Data tabled in the Lok Sabha during August 2024 show that 100 per cent of the energy demands of Visakhapatnam port, VO Chidambaranar port and New Mangalore port are met through renewable sources, while it is 82 per cent at Kandla and 50 per cent at Jawaharlal Nehru port.
Paradip port had the lowest usage of renewable energy, while the major ports at Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin and Mormugao had less than 10 per cent share of renewable energy.
Published on June 29, 2025
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