India likely to launch first domestic coastal green shipping corridor

India is poised to launch its first domestic coastal green shipping corridor in its bid to decarbonise maritime logistics. The strategic route, connecting Kandla on the west coast with Thoothukudi (V O Chidambaranar Port) in the south, is expected to be operational within the next three to six months, according to the Union Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways T K Ramachandran.

The corridor is being jointly developed by the V O Chidambaranar Port Authority and the Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla, in partnership with the state-run Shipping Corporation of India.

Senior officials, including Susanta Kumar Purohit and Sushil Kumar Singh — chairpersons of the two participating port authorities — met recently to refine the operational framework, a VOC Port spokesperson said.

“We are targeting the port’s commencement within the next three to six months,” Ramachandran said. Plans are also under way to extend the model to international routes. Authorities are considering potential links between Kandla and a European or western port, as well as a second international corridor connecting Singapore to India, most likely via the VOC Port.

At the core of the corridor’s design is a push to ensure the availability of green fuels. Ports along the route are expected to produce, store, and distribute fuels such as methanol, which will be used to power at least two retrofitted vessels operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. These vessels will ply the Kandla-Thoothukudi route as early testbeds for clean shipping technologies, said Ramachandran.

Interestingly, the VOC Port is the first port to produce green hydrogen at a small scale while the Kandla port is planning to produce 1 MW of green hydrogen by March next year. Sources said Monday’s discussion on focused on deploying container ships capable of running on green methanol, developing bunkering infrastructure, and assessing cargo volumes and route economics.