Indian Company Shows Commitment To Paris Agreement At Sea

Last updated on April 15th, 2021 at 04:10 am

Private players are gradually taking the lead in using biofuel on ships. This time it’s the cement major Ambuja Cement, that owns a huge fleet of ships is now moving towards eco-friendly means to run their ships on sea.

India is one of the 11 nations that has partnered in the International Maritime Organization’s Norway GreenVoyage2050 Project. The project sets the path to decarbonisation in the shipping sector.

All over the world, it is becoming imperative for shipping majors to look at ways of cutting emission rates in sea. Under the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emission (GHE) rates have to be brought down and maintained at a certain level. By 2050, IMO member states have pledged to cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by half. The endeavor is the eliminate the occurrence of greenhouse gas emissions completely. 

The Indian company is making amendments to its cement carrier- the Ambuja Mukund and Ambuja Vaibhav – that will be using biodiesel from soya extract. The move is being seen as groundbreaking.  Trials have been carried out by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), verifying ships for seaworthiness, with the backing of India’s Directorate General of Shipping.

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Levels of emission of CO2 and NO2 were seen to be satisfactory. The company could move in this direction as the Indian government has already taken a firm stand on committing itself to the Paris Agreement. It has taken concrete steps to cutting the country’s carbon footprint by implementing the National Policy on Biofuels with an indicative target of 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol and 5 per cent blending of a biodiesel in diesel by 2030.

According to a formal statement made by the Joint Managing Director of IRClass, Mr. Vijay Arora, “Sustainability remains at the heart of our work and we are honoured to be part of this ground-breaking exercise. IRClass works closely with the industry for decarbonisation projects and we would like to thank Ambuja Cement for this initiative. We also thank the Directorate General of Shipping, the flag administration of India whose support and guidance is critical.”