Indian Maritime University, Visakhapatnam (IMU-V) and the Hydropower Simulation Laboratory (HSL) of IIT Roorkee's collaborative research resulted in developing an environment-friendly and cost-effective maritime transport solution. The development of several new ports is witnessed by India's broad coastline, even as existing ports are expanded to meet the increasing volumes of marine traffic and enable future maritime trade. Such growing seaport infrastructure needs more Short Endurance Marine Vessels (SEMV) for effective port administration and operation. The usable life of a generic diesel-engine-driven SEMV is close to 20 years, after which it is decommissioned. Diesel-engine-driven marine vessels should be replaced with zero-emission electric vessels to realise sustainable solutions and reduce carbon footprint at Indian seaports. HSL researchers adjusted the functioning of power sources (diesel-engine-driven induction generators and batteries) of the tugboats in this collaborative research to meet the load demand while consuming the lowest possible amount of fuel. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways funded the research. The Visakhapatnam Port Trust provided important information about the various types of marine vessels, their operational schedules and expected design feasibility. In collaboration with IMU-V, HSL is also working towards absolute battery-operated SEMV designs and high-efficiency fault-tolerant marine electric powertrains to produce competent zero-emission SEMVs. It is expected that the adoption of lithium-ion batteries with long life cycles would lead to the commercialisation of absolute battery-operated SEM V as the global market for battery-driven electric vehicles expands. Faculty-in-Charge, Thanga Raj Chelliah, Hydropower Simulation Lab, told the media that the joint research effort of HSL and IMU-V has led to the achievement of a fuel-efficient maritime transport solution. The methodologies used in the research yielded significant results, providing fuel savings to the extent of 29.86%. This endeavour proves that high-quality research can offer modern, effective, efficient and environmentally friendly business solutions. Image Source