India’s Deendayal Port Authority is advancing plans to position Kandla Port as a renewable methanol bunkering hub for vessels operating on the Singapore-Rotterdam corridor. The move comes as shipping companies prepare for stricter EU emissions rules, with around 200 methanol-capable vessels expected on the route.

The port already handles methanol as cargo and has the necessary tankage, pipelines and regulatory framework to begin bunkering trials. A DNV gap analysis has rated Kandla’s readiness between six and seven on the International Association of Ports and Harbors scale.

Alongside bunkering, the authority is planning a 150,000 mt/year e-Methanol facility to meet short-term demand and is engaging partners to establish integrated renewable hydrogen and e-Methanol production. Longer term, the port is targeting 5.6 million mt/year of renewable ammonia by 2031, using 1 million mt/year of electrolytic hydrogen.

To ensure competitiveness, Kandla intends to offer methanol at prices aligned with Singapore and Rotterdam, partly through cross-subsidisation of port charges. The port has also signed an MoU with the Port of Rotterdam to coordinate infrastructure for a green shipping corridor.