India can emerge as a hub for green shipbuilding: Maritime expert

India has "great potential" to emerge as a hub for green shipbuilding, backed by the government's strong focus on alternative fuels and renewable energy, a maritime industry expert said on Wednesday. Modernisation and upgradation of Indian shipyards is in progress, while older dockyards are being assessed for reopening and adding more capacities for green shipbuilding given a strong pickup in global demand, said Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime at DNV, a Norway-based testing, certification and technical advisory services provider. "We see great potential in India emerging as a hub for green shipbuilding, driven by its government's strong focus on alternative fuels and renewable energy like biofuels and wind power," said the industry veteran. The Indian government is encouraging investments and technology transfer from Japanese and Korean shipyards to establish shipbuilding and ship repair clusters in the country. This comes