Focuses on transforming India's vessel ecosystem through green shipbuilding and modernisation of the existing fleet. It envisages performance-linked incentives, national green certification standards, retrofit financing, innovation clusters, zero-emission coastal shipping and digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems. The approach combines industrial development with lifecycle emissions performance and future-fuel readiness to strengthen India's position in low-carbon shipbuilding and green retrofits.

Envisages the transition of Indian ports into low-carbon, digitally enabled and climate-resilient logistics hubs. It covers port electrification, renewable energy adoption, shore power infrastructure, smart environmental monitoring, sustainable infrastructure standards and green corridor initiatives, while also addressing value-chain emissions, coastal ecosystem protection and international partnerships.

Seeks to reinforce India's leadership in responsible end-of-life vessel management through strengthened compliance with international conventions, digital governance, worker safety, environmental protection and circular economy principles. It envisages interventions including a national recycling portal, green steel pathways, innovation programmes and modern compliance frameworks to strengthen resource efficiency and sustainability across the ship recycling ecosystem.

Focuses on establishing the enabling financial architecture required to scale maritime decarbonisation. It envisages a dedicated maritime green finance taxonomy, ESG reporting frameworks, digital MRV systems and innovative financing instruments, including blended finance, green bonds, concessional lending and multilateral partnerships, to mobilise investment across ships, ports, alternative fuels and circular economy infrastructure.

Focuses on developing the human capital required for India's maritime transition through a National Green Maritime Skill Mission, integrating competency standards, specialised certification pathways, simulation-based training and international collaboration. It seeks to develop a future-ready maritime workforce with capabilities in alternative fuels, digital systems, sustainable port operations and green technologies, while supporting an inclusive transition and creation of high-quality employment.

Seeks to accelerate the transition towards low- and zero-emission maritime energy systems through pathways covering biofuels, green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and electrification. The proposed approach is supported by bunkering infrastructure, Green Fuel Development Zones, demand aggregation mechanisms, green shipping corridors and long-term investment in next-generation fuels, with the objective of strengthening India's domestic sustainable marine fuel ecosystem.

Positions technological innovation as a key enabler of maritime decarbonisation. It covers advanced propulsion systems, AI-enabled operations, digital twins, onboard carbon capture, smart ports, renewable energy integration and other frontier technologies. Coordinated research, certification frameworks and technology development ecosystems are envisaged to accelerate domestic innovation and strengthen India's long-term technological competitiveness.

Complements the decarbonisation transition by addressing the wider environmental impacts of maritime activities. It focuses on strengthening waste management, oil spill preparedness, water quality monitoring, noise control and marine ecosystem protection, while embedding circular economy principles and international environmental standards across maritime operations.

Assessment of Vessel Traffic and Potential Demand

The study analyses vessel movements, port calls, cargo flows and passing traffic to identify locations with potential for alternative-fuel bunkering. It finds that India's opportunity is linked not only to its strategic location along major East–West shipping routes, but more importantly to vessels already calling at Indian ports for cargo operations. Container vessels operating on scheduled services are identified as a particularly relevant early demand segment due to their predictable port calls and increasing adoption of alternative fuels.

Alternative Fuel Demand and Transition Pathways

The assessment considers the potential evolution of demand for different alternative marine fuels up to 2047. The draft findings indicate that fuels that can be integrated relatively more readily into existing operations, including biofuels and methanol, could support early-stage transition, while fuels such as ammonia may assume a larger role over time as production, supply chains, infrastructure, safety frameworks and vessel readiness develop. The study considers the transition as a multi-fuel pathway, rather than being dependent on a single future marine fuel.

Pricing and Competitiveness

A major focus of the study is the delivered cost of alternative fuel at the vessel. The assessment highlights that bunkering decisions are influenced not only by the underlying cost of fuel production, but by the overall economics and efficiency of the port call, including port charges, marine services, taxation, additional voyage time and operational reliability. The study benchmarks India against competing regional bunkering locations and examines the total cost implications for vessels choosing to bunker at Indian ports.

Key Enablers and Challenges

The draft study identifies several interconnected factors that will influence the development of alternative-fuel bunkering in India. These include demand certainty, fuel-production costs, availability of storage and bunkering infrastructure, clarity of approval and safety requirements, investment viability and integration of bunkering with wider port services. The study notes that limited demand visibility can constrain infrastructure investment, while inadequate infrastructure and higher delivered costs can, in turn, restrict the emergence of demand.

Identified through assessment of inland waterway routes with potential for green corridor development, offering opportunities for controlled early pilots due to shorter voyages and predictable operating patterns.

Domestic and coastal shipping routes evaluated for green corridor potential, connecting Indian ports through shorter-sea operations with alternative-fuel readiness.

International deep-sea routes providing opportunities to address larger international trade flows and higher-emitting vessel segments through green shipping corridor development.

Corridors reflecting strategic opportunities identified through the cross-workstream assessment, based on emerging synergies across fuels, infrastructure, policy and stakeholder commitment.

Corridors with longer-term potential linked to announced fuel projects, infrastructure development and evolving international trade opportunities. The identification of these 40 corridors should be viewed as an initial pre-feasibility outcome and not as a final selection of corridors for implementation. Further assessment and stakeholder engagement are ongoing to determine which corridors offer the strongest technical, commercial and operational case for progression to detailed feasibility studies.

Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy

The study adopts a fuel-agnostic and data-driven approach, examining the potential availability of alternative fuels and renewable energy, including the maturity of announced green hydrogen and derivative-fuel projects and competing demand from other sectors. The assessment indicates that fuel availability will vary considerably across regions and that development of green corridors will need to be aligned with the location and maturity of emerging fuel-production ecosystems.

Port Readiness

Port readiness was assessed, including existing and planned infrastructure for handling alternative fuels, bunkering capability and operational preparedness. The analysis indicates that V.O.C., Kandla, Paradip and Mundra presently demonstrate comparatively higher readiness for future alternative-fuel operations, suggesting that initial corridor development may be concentrated around a limited number of anchor ports and regional clusters.

Vessels, Cargo and Routes

The study further assesses vessel and cargo characteristics, trade patterns, emissions, regulatory considerations and the potential suitability of different vessel segments. Inland and short-sea corridors offer opportunities for controlled early pilots due to shorter voyages and predictable operating patterns, while deep-sea corridors provide opportunities to address larger international trade flows and higher-emitting vessel segments.