Several Danish companies involved in manufacturing vessel equipment and propulsion systems are eyeing opportunities in India after the government announced a ₹70,000 crore support package and ambitious targets for the maritime sector, Denmark’s Ambassador to India Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen said.
Denmark is a major maritime economy, with AP Moller-Maersk — one of the world’s largest shipping and terminal companies — headquartered in Copenhagen.
Moreover, Danish players currently operating in India are also eyeing opportunities in ship recycling, port decarbonisation, onshore power, green fuels and maritime technology, Kristensen told reporters on Wednesday.
Major Danish companies operating in India include APM Terminals, the terminal arm of AP Moller-Maersk, which operates India’s first private port in Pipavav, Gujarat. The company announced a $2 billion plan to expand the port last year.
Maersk, the shipping line, handles a fifth of India’s containerised trade and is eyeing a larger role in the Indian blue economy. Earlier this year, Amdi Krogh, a top global executive at the carrier, told Business Standard that the company was eyeing orders for tugboats and small container vessels.
In ship recycling, there is significant demand at Indian yards in Alang, two of which were included in the European Union’s list of approved yards on July 29, the ambassador said. Danish carriers are also looking at India over the next few years.
According to an analysis by the Baltic and International Maritime Council, over 16,000 ships could be recycled over the next decade. India has recently announced a policy under which recycling a vessel at an Indian yard entitles the shipowner to a shipbreaking credit note, which can then be used at an Indian shipyard to purchase a new vessel.
India’s ₹25,000 crore shipbuilding financial assistance scheme, announced as part of the package mentioned above, will require ships to have a sizeable portion manufactured domestically.
While Danish companies have eyed export opportunities in vessel equipment and propulsion systems, the policy is also likely to require vessel designs to be developed locally. India has urged some of these players to establish bases in the country, Josefine Pallesen, maritime counsellor at the Royal Danish Embassy, said.
These could be located in the upcoming shipbuilding clusters being developed under the second part of the package — the ₹19,989 crore shipbuilding cluster development scheme. Under this, the Indian government is planning five greenfield clusters with an ancillary ecosystem for equipment manufacturing in place from the outset.
India and Denmark are also exploring collaboration on maritime decarbonisation, including a possible green shipping corridor, Pallesen said. India and Singapore signed an agreement for such a corridor in September 2025.
The corridor entails green shipping facilities at ports in both countries and the digitalisation of trade. While India’s policy framework prioritises local value creation, domestic shipbuilding and reduced reliance on foreign fleets, it actively invites foreign participation in areas such as technology, high-value components and green maritime solutions, the embassy said.
“Given Denmark’s historic role as a leading shipping nation globally with approximately 744 Danish-flagged vessels, Danish maritime technology providers and shipping companies are well-positioned to advance India’s maritime ambitions,” it added.
Moreover, Denmark is also eyeing opportunities in maritime security, given its established presence in the manufacture of modular frigates and coastal-warning radars.
Companies such as Topsoe may contribute to India’s green hydrogen ambitions, while Maersk is supporting green corridors and looking at India as a potential bunkering hub for green fuels, the embassy said.
The country’s industrial presence in the maritime sector includes electric propulsion and emissions monitoring (Danfoss); energy-efficient pumps (DESMI); sustainable coatings (Hempel); methanol-driven and energy-efficient engines (Everllence); green ship design (KEH, OMT and OSK); and green hydrogen (Topsoe).