Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) announced the operationalization of India’s inaugural Port of Refuge (PoR) on Friday. This initiative fills a crucial gap in maritime emergency infrastructure, providing a structured system for handling maritime crises and distressed vessels. The project, supported by a tripartite MoU with SMIT Salvage, Boskalis, and the Maritime Emergency Response Centre (MERC), aims to offer global expertise and coordinated emergency response capabilities.
A Port of Refuge, as per the International Maritime Organisation, serves as a designated safe haven where ships can seek shelter to stabilize conditions, protect lives, and minimize environmental harm. While such facilities are common in major maritime nations, India had not established one until now. This move is significant for India, given its vast coastline of over 11,000 kilometers and strategic location along major global shipping routes.
APSEZ, India’s largest integrated transport utility and the world’s fastest-growing, responsible for handling nearly 27% of India’s port cargo volumes, emphasized the importance of this milestone. Ashwani Gupta, APSEZ’s Whole-time Director and CEO, highlighted that the creation of dedicated PoR infrastructure elevates India’s maritime preparedness and sets a new standard for coastal safety. The company believes that top-tier infrastructure should be complemented by top-tier responsibility.
APSEZ intends to designate two sites as Ports of Refuge: Dighi Port on the west coast, supporting traffic across the Arabian Sea, and Gopalpur Port on the east coast, catering to vessels in the Bay of Bengal. These facilities will offer salvage and wreck removal, firefighting, pollution containment, and emergency coordination services through specialized equipment and trained response teams. The initiative is seen as a crucial step in enhancing India’s maritime preparedness and emergency response capacity, aligning with international maritime conventions and bolstering safety, environmental protection, and India’s role in global shipping routes.
