The goal of the 2023 Harit Sagar Guidelines is to minimise the environmental impact on the harbour ecosystem by implementing a greener shift in port development, operation, and maintenance
The Maharashtra Maritime Board called on public and private port industry participants to work together to decarbonise the port's whole supply chain.
Speaking at a gathering for the industry in this area, Chief Port Officer Praveen S. Khara of the Maharashtra Maritime Board also emphasised the government's aggressive promotion of the green port guidelines, or "Harit Sagar," which were introduced in May of last year by Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for ports, shipping, and waterways in an effort to meet the larger goal of achieving zero carbon emission.
According to him, Maharashtra manages a staggering 77 million metric tonnes of cargo, involving a wide range of players in the logistics and trade ecosystem.
These stakeholders, both public and private, must work together to decarbonise the entire chain of operations.
At the Harit Sagar Conference 2024, hosted by CII under the theme "Navigating Sustainability in the Maritime Ecosystem: Vision," he stated that the goal of the 2023 Harit Sagar Guidelines is to minimise the environmental impact on the harbour ecosystem by implementing a greener shift in port development, operation, and maintenance.
In order to improve port capabilities for handling, storing, and bunkering greener fuels, the guidelines place a strong emphasis on the use of clean and green energy in port operations.
Among these fuels are green ethanol, green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol.
These Guidelines offer the major ports a framework for creating an all-encompassing action plan that will help them achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and targeted outcomes, such as a quantifiable reduction in carbon emissions over specified timeframes, through targeted implementation and close monitoring of green initiatives.
In the upcoming years, India will become a centre for green energy and a major exporter of sustainable energy solutions, according to Rajiv Agarwal, Managing Director and CEO of Essar Ports Ltd. Companies will be expected to abide by these guidelines.
He stated that as technology advances, so too must our way of thinking, realising that decarbonisation will become the norm going forward. Accepting this change is essential to our development and continued leadership in the global energy arena.
Devki Nandan, Senior Executive President at JSW Infrastructure, stated that the Harit Sagar Guidelines will soon be required due to worldwide ESG concerns. "As we strive to decarbonise, our green policies should set a benchmark for other countries," Nandan said. Nowadays, safety requirements are required, and our dedication to sustainability needs to take that into account.
Vinayak Pai, Managing Director & CEO of Tata Projects and Vice Chairman of CII Maharashtra, emphasised that industry needs to learn to collaborate and compete in order to decarbonise the maritime sector. Decarbonising the maritime ecosystem is essential since maritime trade accounts for a sizable portion of emissions, he continued.