KOCHI: Mumbai-headquartered Polestar Maritime Limited has placed an order for two 60-ton bollard pull battery-electric green tugs with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), India’s leading shipyard.
Polestar Maritime is a major player in harbour tugs, coastal towing and marine services at ports. The two green tugs will be deployed at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority under the Government of India’s Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP). Polestar Maritime emerged as the successful bidder for chartering the two battery-electric tugs under the programme.
The vessels will be built to the design of Robert Allan Limited, a global leader in harbour tug design. CSL and its subsidiary Udupi CSL have introduced Robert Allan tug designs in India in line with the Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications (ASTDS) notified by the Government of India to promote the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat initiative, the press release said.
The tugs will be jointly constructed by CSL and Udupi-CSL under a work-share arrangement at CSL’s Kochi yard. They will be equipped with battery-electric propulsion systems and will deliver zero direct emissions during harbour operations. The batteries will be sourced domestically, reinforcing CSL’s commitment to the ‘Make in India’ programme.
With this order, the CSL Group’s current order book includes 17 tugs, including six green tugs, at various stages of construction.
“CSL is pleased to receive the order from Polestar for the GTTP tugs and reaffirms its commitment to transforming the maritime industry by introducing battery-electric tugs in India under the Green Tug Transition Programme,” said Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of CSL.