Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) on Saturday announced that it has commissioned India’s first Port of Refugees (PoR), creating a structured mechanism to deal with maritime emergencies and distressed vessels.
the The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines a PoR as a specific location where ships can seek shelter to stabilize conditions, protect life and limit environmental damage.
According to a press release issued by Adani Ports, this addresses a long-standing gap in maritime emergency infrastructure in India.
“Although such frameworks are standard in major maritime economies, India has not formalized them yet,” the statement also said.
This move comes as India, which has a coastline of more than 11,000 kilometers and is located along major global shipping routes, seeks to strengthen its capabilities to respond to emergency situations.
“This achievement represents an important step in strengthening India’s maritime safety ecosystem. Ports connect economies – but a port of refuge protects lives. By creating dedicated risk protection infrastructure, we are raising the bar for India’s maritime preparedness and setting a new standard for world-class coastal safety. World-class infrastructure must be matched by world-class responsibility,” said Ashwani Gupta, CEO, APSEZ.
“The initiative represents an important step in strengthening India’s maritime preparedness and emergency response capacity. The adoption of a unified port of refuge framework will enable more coordinated and timely action during maritime incidents, ensuring effective protection of life, cargo and the coastal environment. I commend all stakeholders for their collaborative efforts in operationalizing this important capability,” said Director General (DG) Shipping Shyam Jagannathan.
Adani Ports’ two-site refuge port plan
APSEZ announced that it will designate two sites as PoR. They are Dighi Port on the west coast and Gopalpur Port on the east coast.
While PoR on the West Coast will support cross traffic The Arabian Sea and routes to the Persian Gulf, and the route on the east coast will serve ships in the Bay of Bengal and routes to the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest sea trade lanes in the world.
The statement added: “The facilities will provide rescue services, debris removal, firefighting, pollution containment and emergency coordination through specialized equipment and trained response teams.”
