India and Denmark Launch Green Shipping Centre of Excellence to Propel Maritime Decarbonisation
India and Denmark formally inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in Green Shipping on June 6, 2025, as part of their expanding Green Strategic Partnership. The launch, announced during a meeting in Copenhagen between India’s Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Denmark’s Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov, builds on a bilateral memorandum of understanding on maritime affairs signed in 2024.
The centre, to be hosted in India, aims to enhance maritime activity quality and efficiency while propelling the sector’s green transition. It will bring together the National Centre of Excellence for Green Port and Shipping (NCoEGPS) and the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, facilitating collaboration on green fuel infrastructure, port modernisation, certification frameworks, and digital solutions such as blockchain-based registries and smart port systems.
A key priority for the centre is conducting a pre-feasibility study on prospective green shipping corridors, which will identify optimal routes, required infrastructure, and enabling policy frameworks. This study will be carried out by the Maersk-backed Centre following its proven methodology, in coordination with India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and additional government bodies.
The initiative aligns closely with India's Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 and Maritime India Vision 2030, both of which target the transformation of India into a global green shipping hub. Denmark’s well-established expertise in maritime digitalisation, shore‑power adoption, offshore renewables, and green fuel systems provides critical support for these national goals.
In addition to improving port operations and efficiency, the centre will advance the use of green fuels—such as green ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol—in India. These technologies were also referenced in the countries’ revised 2022 maritime MoU, and Denmark's pioneering commercial e‑methanol plant in Kasso, which produces 42,000 tonnes annually for Maersk’s dual‑fuel vessels, underscores the urgency of developing local supply chains in India.
This strategic endeavour further signals a shift in global maritime emissions policy, aligning with the International Maritime Organization’s ambitions for a net‑zero fleet by 2050, and complements growing international measures such as the IMO’s upcoming emissions cap and the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme for shipping.
By fusing Denmark’s green maritime technologies and India’s ambitious port infrastructure plans, the new Centre of Excellence is poised to accelerate R&D, training, certification, and deployment of clean maritime solutions. It represents a major milestone in the cooperative maritime agenda, promising a scalable model for sustainable shipping, economic competitiveness, and climate resilience.
