The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Steel cut at Cochin Shipyard for zero emission feeder container vessel
Cutting of steel for the first of the two vessels which are part of the ‘Sea Shuttle zero emission feeder container project’ being built by the public sector Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (CSL) for Samskip, a leading logistics company headquartered in the Netherlands, took place on the Cochin Shipyard premises on Thursday.
The event coincided with the sustainability day celebrations of Samskip held at their headquarters in Rotterdam. The order, worth approximately ₹550 crore, was awarded to the CSL by Samskip Group Norway. The first vessel is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2025.
Green hydrogen
The Sea Shuttle project is one of the first zero emission feeder container vessels in the world using green hydrogen as fuel. This is an ambitious project under the Norwegian government’s green funding programme aimed at emissionfree transport solutions by adopting sustainable technologies. In zero emission mode, each vessel is expected to achieve around 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide reduction every year.
The logistics sector, particularly in the maritime domain, plays a crucial role in India’s decarbonisation efforts. With one of the world’s largest waterway networks, transitioning inland vessels from conventional fuels to alternative clean fuels is vital for sustainable transportation, said sources at the shipyard.
Cochin Shipyard’s transformative efforts on the innovative and new technology front include that of green energy, alternative fuels, autonomy and the like. It is actively participating in various green vessel programmes for domestic and international clients with alternative fuels. The component of green projects in the commercial order book of the Cochin Shipyard is about 52%, according to a note.
Pilot project
The shipyard has also developed India’s first fully indigenous hydrogen fuel cell catamaran ferry vessel as a pilot project which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days ago.
Since the vessel is designed as a green vessel, a significant portion of funding is being done by Norwegian government under its green shipping funding programme called ENOVA.