Conference on sustainable maritime future held at VOC Port
TK Ramachandran, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, virtually released the event’s souvenir and a video on green initiatives of the VOC Port.
View of the existing terminal at VO Chidambaranar Port
MADURAI: As part of a nationwide series of thematic workshops and roadshows planned ahead of the India Maritime Week 2025, VO Chidambaranar Port Authority, in Thoothukudi, organised a conference on “Green Ports and Shipping – Chartering Sustainable Maritime Future” on Saturday.
Organised under the aegis of NAVIC Cell–3 which focuses on the Green Initiatives and Pollution Control of Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, the event brought together key policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and maritime stakeholders to discuss sustainable, low-carbon and environmentally responsible practices across the entire maritime ecosystem, including ports, shipping, and related logistics, a statement said on Saturday.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, and Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, through video messages, highlighted the government’s commitment to pursuing a multi-pronged strategy to drive sustainability in the maritime sector.
TK Ramachandran, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, virtually released the event’s souvenir and a video on green initiatives of the VOC Port.
In his address, he stated that the Ministry has formulated regulatory frameworks like the Harit Sagar guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures for green transition, and dredging guidelines to promote sustainable port and shipping operations.
Vijay Kumar, the chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the nodal officer of NAVIC Cell–3, highlighted the government measures in transition to renewable energy sources, adopting energy efficient technologies, promoting the use of green fuels such as LNG, ammonia, and hydrogen, and upgrading port infrastructure and equipment to align with green standards.
Earlier, Susanta Kumar Purohit, the chairperson of VOC Port Authority, in his welcome address, emphasised that the primary objective of the conference is to foster a unified and actionable dialogue to drive India’s ports and shipping industry towards net zero emissions.
Abhay Bakre, the director of National Green Hydrogen Mission, Dr Vibha Dhawan, the director general of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), Dr Malini V Shankar, Vice Chancellor of Indian Maritime University, and Rajesh Soundararajan, the deputy chairperson of VOC Port Authority, were also present.
