Ten years ago, every vessel calling at Chennai Port ran on heavy fuel oil or marine diesel. You knew the bunker grade, you knew the lube spec, you knew the filter replacement cycle. Today the story is messier - and for good reason. Between the IMO's 2030 intermediate targets and the 2050 net-zero ambition, shipping lines are placing orders for ships that burn fuels our chandlery predecessors would not have recognised.
The shift matters to anyone supplying vessels. A dual-fuel engine needs a different lube oil family. An ammonia-capable vessel carries safety gear that did not exist on an MGO ship. A methanol carrier has handling protocols that read more like a chemical tanker's than a bulker's. When we receive a requisition from a new-build calling Chennai on her maiden voyage, the line items have changed.
LNG has moved from pilot to mainstream
LNG bunkering at Indian ports is no longer speculative. Kamarajar Port (Ennore) has an operational LNG terminal, Kochi has one, and discussions around Chennai-area LNG bunkering keep resurfacing in port committee notes. For chandlers, LNG vessels bring three practical supply shifts: cryogenic-rated PPE for bunker watch crew, methane-slip detectors as part of the safety store inventory, and a different set of lube oils compatible with gas-burning engines.
Vessel operators also ask us about gas-detection calibration gases, cryo gloves rated to -165C, and spare regulators. These are not catalog standards for a traditional chandler - they have to be sourced specifically.
Methanol is the quiet frontrunner
Maersk was the first major line to order methanol-capable container ships in volume, and the order book has since expanded to more than 300 vessels across all operators. Methanol has an advantage over LNG: it is a liquid at ambient temperature, which means existing tank infrastructure can be retrofitted. From our side, supplying a methanol vessel means carrying methanol-compatible gasket sets, specific cleaning chemicals that will not react with traces of methanol, and very specific pumps for bunkering support.
The training gap is the bigger issue. Crews rotating onto methanol ships often call us for reference charts, MSDS folders, and emergency equipment that is still being certified by class.
Ammonia is the big unknown
Ammonia carries the same zero-carbon appeal as methanol but with significantly higher toxicity risk. The first ammonia-capable commercial vessels are in sea trials now. The safety implications for chandlery are substantial: full-face respirators rated for anhydrous ammonia, eye-wash stations at elevated spec, and detector systems tied into the vessel's ESD logic. We are already stocking cartridges for ammonia respirators specifically because a few offshore operators calling Chennai want them on board even before they switch fuel.
What this means for vessels calling Chennai
Most of the fleet calling Chennai Port, Ennore Port, and Kattupalli Port over the next five years will still burn VLSFO and MGO. That is the realistic baseline. But the 10-15% of vessels on alternative fuels need a chandler who can already supply to the new standards without a three-week sourcing lead time. The shipping lines with forward-looking charters are already asking their agents which Indian chandlers are equipped for dual-fuel support.
For fleet managers planning port rotation, the right question to ask your chandler is not "can you supply us" but "can you supply us to the spec of our newest ship in the fleet." At Marsea, that is the default question we ask ourselves when we onboard a new account at Chennai - we inventory not just what you run today, but what you will run in 2028.
Need a supply partner at Chennai, Ennore, or Kattupalli for vessels across conventional and alternative-fuel fleets? See our ship chandler at Chennai Port service page for full capability coverage.