Contract combines Shoft Shipyard, Marine Electricals (India) and Robert Allan Ltd. to deliver another milestone in India’s Green Tug Transition Programme
Shoft Shipyard has secured a contract to build a 60-tonne bollard pull battery-electric harbour tug for Industrial Handling, one of India’s leading tug and harbour service operators, for deployment at Paradip Port Authority.
The project marks another significant milestone in India’s maritime decarbonisation programme, coming less than a month after Shoft Shipyard launched the country’s first hybrid-electric tug. It also reinforces the accelerating adoption of low-emission harbour vessels under the Green Tug Transition Programme led by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.
The new tug will combine Shoft Shipyard’s shipbuilding capabilities with advanced marine electrification systems supplied by Marine Electricals (India) Limited, while the vessel has been designed by internationally recognised naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. The partnership brings together expertise in vessel construction, electric propulsion and harbour tug design to deliver a next-generation zero-emission solution for port operations.
With a 60-tonne bollard pull, the battery-electric tug is expected to provide the performance required for demanding harbour manoeuvring while significantly reducing emissions, noise and operating costs compared with conventional diesel-powered vessels.
The contract further strengthens Shoft Shipyard’s position in India’s emerging market for sustainable harbour craft, as ports across the country continue investing in cleaner technologies to meet national decarbonisation objectives.
