Mormugao Port Authority (MPA), located in Goa on the west Coast of India, is one among the 12 major ports under the auspices of Government of India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW).
In May 2023, the MoPSW issued the “Harit Sagar” Green Port Guidelines which laid down a broad framework of initiatives for major ports to reduce their carbon emissions and develop an environmentally friendly ecosystem. This included the “Harit Shrey” scheme which encourages ports to introduce green vessel incentives to promote a green culture in ports.
As a part of its continuous efforts to implement these Green Port guidelines, the MPA has become the first Indian port to introduce a green incentive scheme for vessels to help reduce emissions at berth. With no quantifiable parameter available in India to measure and incentivize vessels calling at the port, MPA implemented its scheme based on the Environment Ship Index (ESI) developed by IAPH.
In October 2023, MPA officially launched this scheme, issuing a press release with the aim to encourage vessels having an ESI score to call at the Mormugao Port, and in the same month welcomed its first recipient with an ESI score of 43.18. With a positive response, the MoPSW hopes to expand the “Harit Shrey” incentive scheme across its other 12 major ports.