Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) has converted the two battery-electric green harbour tugs it began building on its own account into firm construction contracts with Polestar Maritime, following the tug operator’s success in securing a 15-year deployment deal from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).
Mumbai-listed CSL did not disclose the contract value for the two 60-tonne bollard pull electric tugs. The state-owned shipbuilder had commenced construction last year after its board approved an advance-build strategy to shorten delivery timelines once firm orders were secured.
“These two tugs are presently being built on our own account in anticipation of converting them into contracts with clients once the tendering process underway at major ports is completed,” CSL had said last year while cutting steel for the vessels under the government’s Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
Polestar Maritime won the JNPA tender late last year by quoting the lowest day rate of ₹5,89,500 per tug for chartering two battery-electric green tugs at India’s largest state-owned container port.
The tugs will be built to designs by Robert Allan Ltd, a global leader in harbour tug design. Cochin Shipyard and its subsidiary Udupi-CSL have introduced Robert Allan-designed tugs in India in compliance with the Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications (ASTDS) issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Construction will be undertaken jointly by CSL and Udupi-CSL under a work-share arrangement at Cochin Shipyard’s Kochi facility. The vessels will feature battery-electric propulsion, delivering zero direct emissions during harbour operations. The batteries will be sourced domestically, reinforcing CSL’s ‘Make in India’ commitment.
With this addition, Cochin Shipyard and its units now have an order book comprising 17 conventional tugs and six green tugs at various stages of construction.
Harbour tugs—critical for berthing, unberthing, and ship-assist operations—are seen as ideal candidates for green propulsion technologies, including electric systems and alternative fuels, due to their predictable duty cycles and high emission-reduction potential.
In 2024, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways rolled out standard operating procedures for the Green Tug Transition Programme to accelerate the shift from conventional fuel-based harbour tugs to sustainable alternatives at major ports. The programme aims to initially deploy battery-electric tugs, with scope for future adoption of hybrid, methanol, and green hydrogen technologies.
Under the GTTP roadmap, all tugs operating at state-owned major ports are expected to transition to green propulsion by 2040, creating a standardised, low-emission harbour tug fleet across India.
