A deck store is not a place to save money. Every item in it exists because something on deck will, at some point this voyage, need fixing, securing, marking, cleaning, or repairing. The mate who shorts the deck store to reduce the stores bill is the same mate who discovers the shortage on a wet midnight watch when the next port is six days away.
This is a practical 2026 refresh of what a modern deck store should hold, based on what vessels calling Chennai Port, Ennore Port, and Kattupalli actually reorder when they run short. It is not a complete IMPA-coded catalog - that would be 400 pages - but it covers the categories where the difference between well-stocked and under-stocked shows up first.
Ropes and lashing
Synthetic mooring lines have largely displaced traditional manila for main mooring duty, but a good deck store still carries both. 8-strand polypropylene in 40-56 mm for springs and shorter mooring runs. HMPE (high-modulus polyethylene) lines for vessels using specialist mooring equipment. Wire rope - usually 6x36 or 6x41 construction - for permanent installations and crane-related uses. Lashing chains, D-rings, and turnbuckles rated to the cargo's securing matrix. Polyester webbing slings in staged SWL ratings for general lifting.
Under-spec lashing is the single most common cause of cargo shift claims. Any vessel routinely carrying project cargo, vehicles, or non-standard palletised loads should carry 120-150% of the lashing it is likely to need.
Marine paint and coatings
Deck paint is boring until the hold starts rusting. Standard kit: marine alkyd enamel in the vessel's corporate colour palette, epoxy primer for bare-steel touch-up, zinc-rich primer for severe-service areas, two-pack PU for high-wear decks. Anti-slip additives for gangways and deck walkways. A dedicated anti-fouling spot-repair kit for water-line damage.
Paint has a real shelf life - most two-pack systems under 12 months from production - so rotate stock rather than hoarding.
Cleaning and maintenance chemicals
General-purpose degreaser. Stainless-steel cleaner for galley and accommodation areas. Rust remover. Anti-fouling chain cleaner. Tank-cleaning chemicals specific to the previous cargo's residue profile (if the vessel is a tanker). Biodegradable deck soap for external wash-down. A carefully curated set - ten well-chosen chemicals beats forty vague ones.
Always carry the MSDS folder alongside the chemicals. Port state control inspectors will ask for it.
Consumable tools and hardware
Galvanised D-shackles in staged sizes. Bolts, nuts, and washers in the common metric and imperial sizes used on board. Sandpaper, wire brushes, chipping hammers, needle scalers. Lubricating grease (both multipurpose lithium and a separate high-temperature one for chain locker and bearing use). Electrical tape, rigging tape, self-vulcanising tape. A proper selection of hand tools - not cheap ones.
Safety and rigging
Deck safety items: harnesses in current inspection date, fall arresters, bosun's chairs, life jackets (supplementary to the SOLAS-mandated ones), high-visibility tabards, impact gloves. Rigging: shackles and connectors rated and traceable with test certificates. Nothing in this category should be bought without documentation.
What has changed in 2026
Two things are genuinely new. First, battery-powered tools are replacing air-powered tools on more decks, which means a cleaner deck store and fewer compressor-related spares - but more attention to battery storage and charging discipline. Second, biodegradable chemicals are displacing traditional solvents for any deck work near scupper drains, driven by tightening port discharge rules. Chennai Port itself is one of several Indian ports tightening enforcement on deck wash-down discharges.
A deck store should be reviewed twice a year. The vessel's deck department knows what actually got used last voyage and what sat unused for two years. That review is the starting point for the next requisition, not a generic stores list.
For deck and engine store supply at Chennai Port, Ennore Port, and Kattupalli, see our ship chandler at Chennai Port supply scope.