<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:

&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">In a major diplomatic push to expand international

maritime capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended a formal invitation

to Norwegian sovereign wealth funds and maritime conglomerates to invest

heavily in India’s fast-evolving blue economy. During high-level bilateral

discussions with Norwegian leadership in New Delhi, the Prime Minister

highlighted key strategic openings across green hydrogen production, offshore

wind arrays, sustainable deep-sea mining frameworks, and state-of-the-art

merchant shipbuilding.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:

&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">The strategic push aligns India’s massive coastal

manufacturing footprint with Norway’s specialized technological edge in

zero-emission maritime engineering and deep-water energy management.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;

font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Bilateral Tech Transfer and Green Ship

Manufacturing<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">

<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Zero-Emission

Vessel Design</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;

font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">: A core focus of the bilateral

dialogue involves integrating Norwegian clean propulsion systems into

Indian shipyards. India is actively seeking tech-transfer partnerships for

hydrogen fuel cells, large-scale battery banks, and wind-assisted ship

propulsion (WASP) to build next-generation green vessels for global

shipping alliances.<o:p></o:p></span></li>

<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Smart

Port Modernization</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:

115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">: The invitation extends to

Norwegian digital firms specializing in maritime artificial intelligence

and automated terminal operations. By deploying these software layers,

Indian ports aim to optimize vessel queuing systems, reduce fuel burn

during port entry, and scale real-time cargo tracking efficiency.<o:p></o:p></span></li>

</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;

font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Offshore Energy Grids and Circular Economy

Initiatives<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">

<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Scaling

Ocean Energy</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;

font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">: PM Modi underscored India’s

ambitious offshore wind goals along the coastlines of Gujarat and Tamil

Nadu. Indian energy authorities are looking to tap into Norway’s

deep-water engineering experience to build durable floating offshore wind

structures capable of handling extreme monsoon conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></li>

<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Sustainable

Marine Management</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:

115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">: The bilateral framework also

targets the circular economy, focusing on joint research and commercial

ventures in eco-friendly ship recycling, sustainable ocean aquaculture

grids, and marine plastic mitigation networks to preserve long-term

coastal biodiversity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>

</ul>