<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The phased rollout of India's ambitious Green Tug
Transition Program (GTTP) has hit a temporary administrative bottleneck.
Designed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to systematically
replace fossil-fuel-powered harbor craft with zero-emission alternatives, the
decadal initiative is facing delays. Prolonged tariff negotiations and price
parity adjustments have stalled contract awards at major maritime gateways
months after technical and price bids were finalized.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The procurement delays underscore the financial
complexities of anchoring sustainable maritime technology within standard port
operations frameworks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">According to operational data from the state-run port
network, the procedural standstill centers heavily on pending charter
allocations at the New Mangalore Port Authority and the Chennai Port Authority.
Both organizations have held back final contract approvals for hiring
specialized 60-ton bollard-pull battery-electric harbor tugs under 15-year
lease structures. Commercial data indicates that the delay stems from port
administrators requesting the lowest bidder Underwater Services Company
Limited, a specialized division of Samson Maritime Limited to match lower daily
hire rates discovered during subsequent green tenders floated by neighboring
state ports.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The pricing friction highlights a growing industry
push toward cost-optimization across green maritime assets:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">New
Mangalore Port Authority:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> Opened its
commercial bids in September 2025, with Underwater Services emerging as
the lowest bidder at an initial day rate of ₹6,25,444. Following
administrative requests to match lower benchmarks discovered at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and VO Chidambaranar Port
Authority, the operator revised its offer downward to ₹6,08,000 per day in
February 2026. However, port trustees are reportedly deferring final
sign-off to seek further concessions aligned with rates established at
Paradip Port.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Chennai
Port Authority:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> Witnessed a similar negotiation
layout after opening its price bids in March 2026, where Underwater
Services led with a quotation of ₹5,94,400 per day. Following successive
rounds of statutory pushback aimed at securing parity with JNPA's
benchmark of ₹5,89,500, the bidder ultimately agreed to match the lower
daily baseline on May 14, 2026. Despite resolving the tariff dispute, the
formal Letter of Award (LoA) remains legally unissued.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The ongoing contract standoffs arrive during the
introductory phase of the GTTP roadmap, which formally commenced in August 2024
with the introduction of unified standard operating procedures (SOPs). The
federal initiative aims to fully transition the harbor fleets of all 12 major
state-controlled ports to green propulsion ecosystems including
battery-electric, hybrid, methanol, and green hydrogen systems by 2040. While
gateways like Deendayal, JNPA, Visakhapatnam, and VOC Port have successfully
finalized their inaugural green tug agreements, refining the cost-discovery
process remains a key hurdle for broader fleet modernization.<o:p></o:p></span></p>