Asia/Pacific News
Kandla Port Set to Operate India's First Electric Tug
Kolkata-based Netincon Marketing, a part of Ripley Group, has emerged as the lowest bidder for India's first electric tug tender floated by Deendayal Port Authority, which runs Kandla port in Gujarat.
The Deendayal Port Authority will charter the tug from Netincon Marketing at a daily rate of ₹630,000 ($7,475) over a 15-year period, Ripley Group said in a statement on its website last week.
This development aligns with the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways' Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP), launched in August 2024. The initiative aims to shift conventional tugboats to electric or alternative fuel propulsion systems.
Under the GTTP's first phase—running until December 2027—four major ports, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Deendayal, Paradip, and V O Chidambaranar, will each procure or charter at least two green tugs.
The program is backed by an estimated investment of ₹10 billion and guided by standardised designs and specifications issued by the Standing Specification Committee (SSC).
