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VOC port has earmarked 501 acres of land for the development of green hydrogen manufacturing and storage facilities
Works on a green shipping corridor, where methanol-run ships are to be operated, between VO Chidambaranar (VOC) Port and Deendayal Port in Kandla, Gujarat, are picking up pace with high-level talks taking shape last week. The ships will be operated by State-owned Shipping Corporation of India.
In February, Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) signed an MoU with Bapu’s Shipping for Bio-Methanol Bunkering Services. It recently joined the Methanol Institute to provide greater opportunities to the port to engage with methanol producers, suppliers, vessel operators, regulators and other stakeholders for likely partnerships to accelerate maritime decarbonisation, Sushil Kumar Singh, Chairman, Deendayal Port, recently said in a social media post.
On its part, the VOC port has earmarked 501 acres of land for the development of green hydrogen manufacturing and storage facilities. With a projected investment of ₹41,860 crore from companies such as ACME Green Hydrogen & Chemicals, Green Infra Renewable Energy Farms Pvt. Ltd. (Sembcorp), Amplus Ganges Solar Pvt. Ltd., and Renew E-Fuels Pvt. Ltd., VOC Port is positioning itself as a major player in the emerging hydrogen economy.
Additionally, a pilot green hydrogen bunkering and refuelling facility is being developed at the Port, with a ₹35 crore grant sanctioned by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The facility, which will have a storage capacity of 750 m3, is expected to be completed by January 2026.
The green mile
While the project looks promising in essence, the availability of ships and the fuels for this corridor is still questionable, sources said. Both ports are in the process of identifying the ship to be run in the corridor, they added.
“Conceptually, the green shipping corridor project is fine. Will take time. But, where are the green ships fuel now?” asked a source. The cost of freight should be clear. Sample sailing can be done commercially, but how it will sustain the need is to be seen,” the source added.
Anil Devli, CEO, Indian National Shipowners Association, called a great effort. However, the Ministry or the Centre has to do more to assist shipowners in financing installation of energy saving devices on ships as well as availability of Bio Fuel at a competitive cost. “Else, as they have done in case of Harbour Tugs, the Centre should subsidise the increase in the cost of GHG reduction. This handholding has to come from the Centre in the initial years so that shipping and the trade can sustain the cost,” he said.
As of October 30, 2024, globally, 62 green corridor initiatives have been announced, of which 18 are new. This represents a third consecutive year of steady growth in the number of green corridor efforts, suggesting continued interest in the concept, according to the 2024 edition of the Annual Progress Report on Green Shipping Corridors by Denmark’s Global Maritime Forum.
With India’s fuel production potential, favourable policy landscape, and ambitions across both the energy and shipbuilding spaces, the country’s absence from the global green corridor map is striking, the report said.
Published on May 16, 2025
This article first appeared on The Hindu Business Line
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