Adani Harbour Services, a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) next week at the India Maritime Week for chartering six so-called ASTDS tugs for seven years and one green tug for 15 years to Mumbai Port Authority, according to sources.
It will also sign separate MoUs with V O Chidambaranar Port Authority for chartering two harbour tugs for seven years and with Chennai Port Authority for chartering one 60-tonne bollard pull escort tug vessel.
The APSEZ unit which runs India’s biggest marine services company will sign a MoU with the Directorate General of Shipping for 12 tugboats, to be built at the Cochin Shipyard, said a source.
ASTDs or Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications was developed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to promote the domestic shipbuilding industry and standardise tugs for use in Indian ports. ASTDS is a key part of the Green Tug Transition Programme, which aims to progressively replace traditional diesel tugs with zero-emission alternatives.
In the dredging segment, APSEZ will sign an MoU for the construction of a self-propelled grab dredger at the Cochin Shipyard, marking another milestone in indigenous maritime engineering.
It will showcase India’s first Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger simulator, designed indigenously by ARI Simulation for APSEZ under the Make in India programme.
APSEZ will also ink MoUs for strategic development at the Vadhvan Port, Haldia Port, Dighi Port and Vizhinjam LNG bunkering, demonstrating its commitment to capacity creation and green infrastructure.
“Together, these strategic partnerships reinforce APSEZ’s leadership in sustainable port infrastructure, indigenous shipbuilding, and blue economy growth,” said a company official.
APSEZ runs 15 ports across India and four overseas, supported by 12 multimodal logistics parks, 132 rakes and a 5,000 plus truck fleet, handling nearly one-fourth of India’s total cargo.