BBN Bureau
CSL commits Rs50 cr towards start-ups in maritime sector
KOCHI
/April 30-2022: Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) will be building the first indigenous Hydrogen Fuelled Electric Vessels for the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways unveiled the Government’s plan for building Hydrogen Fuelled Electric Vessels keeping pace with the Global Maritime Green Transitions.
The minister said Cochin Shipyard has committed to invest an initial corpus of Rs50 crore in Start-up companies engaged in the maritime sector
Sonowal announced the plan to build Hydrogen Fuelled Electric Vessels at the workshop on Green Shipping organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, jointly with Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) and The Energy and Resources Institute.
Hydrogen Fuel cells can be used in a wide range of applications, including transportation, material handling, stationary, portable, and emergency backup power applications, etc.
Fuel cells operating on hydrogen fuel are an efficient, environmentally-friendly, zero-emission, direct current (DC) power source already being applied in heavy-duty buses, trucks, and trains, and are now under development for marine applications.
The minister stated that the project would be carried out by Cochin Shipyard Ltd in collaboration with Indian partners and the ground works in this regard have already begun, wherein Cochin Shipyard Ltd has partnered with KPIT Technologies Ltd and Indian developers in the areas of Hydrogen Fuel cell, power train and Indian Register of Shipping for developing rules and regulation for such vessels.
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vessel that is based on Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Technology (LT-PEM) called Fuel Cell Electric Vessel (FCEV) is expected to cost around Rs 17.50 crores of which 75 per cent would be funded by the Government of India.
The development of Hydrogen Fuelled Electric Vessels is considered a launchpad for the country to tap the vast opportunities lying in the Coastal & Inland vessels segment, both nationally and internationally. An official statement said this project is expected to augment the efforts of the nation in achieving the Prime Minister’s ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2070 and also in complying with the standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that envisages a reduction in carbon intensity of international shipping by at least 40 per cent by 2030 and progressively to 70 per cent by 2050.
Solar Alliance
The Green Shipping in India – 2022 workshop was held in at Kochi on April 30, 2022. The minister stated that India is firmly committed towards creating a sustainable and clean environment, and that India had called for the “One Sun – One World – One Grid” initiative, as a lead player in the International Solar Alliance.
