VARANASI, October 18 — The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways alongside the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched operational demonstration voyages of India's first indigenous hydrogen fuel-cell inland catamaran passenger vessel on National Waterway-1 (Ganga River) at Varanasi on Sunday.
Engineered and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), the 50-passenger zero-emission vessel features proton-exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells paired with a high-capacity lithium-ion battery energy storage system. The hybrid vessel produces zero greenhouse gas exhaust emissions, discharging only purified water vapor while lowering acoustic noise by over 90%, safeguarding the fragile riverine habitat of the endangered Ganges River Dolphin.
The Ministry affirmed that the deployment marks a critical milestone under the Harit Nauka Guidelines and the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which envision transitioning 50% of inland passenger vessels to green propulsion by 2030 and achieving complete decarbonisation of national waterways by 2045.
The National Waterways Act 2016 (notifying 111 national waterways), geographic extent of National Waterway-1 (Prayagraj to Haldia spanning 1,620 km across the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly system), institutional powers of IWAI (established in 1986), and the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP with World Bank assistance) are foundational topics for UPSC and state engineering services.