Local shipbuilders have urged the government to include Diesel Electric Propulsion tugs in the so-called Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications (ASTDS) guidelines issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) to align it with the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) and the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.

The ASTDS guidelines were issued to promote local shipbuilding industry and for standardising tugs operating in ports. The guidelines, though, recognise only Diesel Mechanical Propulsion tugs and do not provide an option for Diesel Electric Propulsion tugs.

Under the Green Tug Transition Programme, the government has mandated state-owned ports to convert their fleet to green tugs by 2030 to reduce carbon emissions. This initiative has started yielding results with tug owners placing orders for some 12-15 green tugs at local yards.

Despite this, several ports, both state-owned and private, have floated tenders for conventional tugboats. These tenders stipulate that the tugs should be constructed and delivered within 18 months of signing the contract. Besides, the tender terms require bidders to declare the daily fuel oil consumption of the tugs to be eligible for bidding.

The Shipyards Association of India (SAI) has drawn the government's attention to the fact that the timeline for delivery of diesel mechanical propulsion packages from prominent and reputed suppliers is currently around 24 months.

"Consequently, it will remain a challenging task for tug owners or ports to receive tugs fitted with such proven propulsion systems before 2028.

Even if the orders for propulsion packages are placed today, the delivery timelines may not be met as desired," Sanjiv Walia, Chief Executive Officer, Shipyards Association of India wrote in a letter to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Given their unique operational profile, tugs provide an ideal platform for adopting green solutions such as electric propulsion systems and alternate fuels without compromising performance, Walia said.

A detailed analysis undertaken by naval architects from Navnautik concluded that ASTDS-compliant Diesel Electric Propulsion tugs present a more viable and practical alternative to meet the stipulated delivery timelines set by the tender.

According to the Shipyards Association, Diesel Electric Propulsion tugs have several advantages such as easy availability of DG sets locally, typically within 10-12 months from the date of issuing purchase order, larger share of indigenous content due to use of locally manufactured gensets, reduced foreign exchange outflow and lower dependency on imports (nearly 20 per cent reduction), optimised utilisation of propulsion machinery across low, medium and high power operating modes, lower fuel oil consumption, maintenance costs and operational expenditure due to optimised genset operation.

It is, therefore, suggested that the ASTDS specifications be suitably amended to include "mechanical/electric propulsion", thereby enabling tugs with any compliant propulsion configuration to participate in the ASTDS tenders. Such an amendment would provide tug owners and ports with greater flexibility to adopt green technologies without disrupting the ongoing tender processes," Walia wrote in the letter, adding that the modification would facilitate timely delivery of tugs while reinforcing India's commitment to reduce emission and promote sustainable maritime practices.

Source: ET Infra. Com

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