India and the Marine Fuel Transition: Positioning for Low-Carbon Bunkers

Biofuel: the near-term lever

India's large agricultural base and its established ethanol-blending programme give it both feedstock and blending experience that can extend into marine biofuel blends. Because these are largely drop-in fuels usable in existing engines, they are the most practical low-carbon option for the current fleet — and a natural fit for a country that already produces and blends biofuels at scale.

Green hydrogen and its derivatives

India's National Green Hydrogen Mission targets large-scale green hydrogen production, with green ammonia and green methanol as derivatives. Green ammonia in particular is a leading candidate future marine fuel, and India's renewable-energy scale makes it a plausible production — and potentially export — point for the fuels the deep-sea fleet will eventually need.

LNG as the bridge

Alongside the zero-carbon ambitions, India's developing LNG bunkering capability gives it a role in the transition fuel that bridges the gap while newer fuels scale.

Port and refinery readiness

The building blocks are being assembled: refiners moving toward cleaner output, and ports planning for the handling and safety regimes that new fuels demand. Readiness is uneven, as it is everywhere, but the direction is clear.

What it means for operators

Over the coming years India is positioned to supply biofuel blends and, in the longer term, green ammonia and methanol — aligning with FuelEU Maritime and the IMO's decarbonisation trajectory. The takeaway is that India is positioning to be a transition-fuel supply point, not merely a conventional one. For the wider fuel picture, see our alternative fuels outlook.