The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has released a study titled 'Study on Potential Demand and Pricing of Alternative Marine Fuels in India', identifying Mundra, JNPT, Chennai and Tuticorin as key locations for potential alternative fuel bunkering development, IANS reported.
Source: IANS via The Freedom Press
The study, undertaken by DNV under the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) GreenVoyage2050 Programme in partnership with DGMA and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, projects alternative fuel demand reaching 42-65 petajoules (PJ) by 2035 and 113-293 PJ by 2047 under different scenarios, the DGMA said in a statement quoted by IANS. A petajoule is a unit of energy; 293 PJ is the top-end 2047 scenario in the study.
Source: IMO GreenVoyage2050 India study
The report was released during a workshop titled 'Safety First at Sea: Enhancing Safety & Compliance Standards across Indian Shipping' held recently in Mumbai. It assesses vessel traffic patterns, existing and projected marine fuel demand, alternative fuel pricing, cost competitiveness and bunkering infrastructure, IANS reported.
The study outlines a phased roadmap for 2026-2047 focused on establishing initial bunkering operations, expanding infrastructure and services, developing safety and regulatory frameworks, and positioning India within regional and global green shipping networks, according to the DGMA statement.
The DGMA has already set a deadline for the use of ethanol-blended fuel by commercial vessels when they enter Indian coastal waters, and ship owners and managers have been given time to make equipment changes and build storage tanks for ethanol to be blended with marine diesel, IANS reported.