Echandia will deliver the battery system for India’s first fully electric tugboat. The vessel will operate at Deendayal Port Authority (Kandla Port) under the Government of India’s Green Tug Transition Program.
The tug will feature a 4.4 MWh Echandia battery system. The setup will enable zero-emission operations at one of India’s key port hubs.
The battery system is designed for a 15-year lifespan. It matches the full charter period between Ripley Group and Deendayal Port Authority. After securing the charter tender, Ripley Group appointed Kongsberg Maritime as system integrator. Echandia won the battery supply contract through a competitive tender.
A core requirement was durability. The system must deliver 30,000 charge cycles over 15 years without mid-life battery replacement. Echandia was the only supplier able to guarantee this performance. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.
“This project marks an important step in India’s green maritime transition,” said Torbjörn Bäck, CEO of Echandia. “We are proud to support Kandla Port and the GTTP program with a high-performance electric tug solution.”
The vessel is the first in a wider rollout. The program targets 16 electric tugs by 2027. Plans call for around 150 new electric tugs in the longer term, rising to 400 vessels by 2040.
Echandia already has an established presence in India. Previous projects include battery systems for water buses in Kochi and ferries in Varanasi.
“As an early leader in maritime electrification in India, Echandia is proud to support port and inland waterway decarbonisation,” said Rakshith Sachitanand, Senior Strategist at Echandia. “We also value close cooperation with Indian shipbuilders as they expand globally.”
