China completes world’s first commercial green ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering

China has completed the world’s first commercial ship-to-ship green ammonia bunkering operation, transferring 1,000 tonnes of the fuel to Belgian shipowner CMB.TECH’s newly delivered Mineral Europa.

The operation, carried out on October 13 and 14 at an anchorage off Zhoushan, saw the dedicated bunkering vessel Shenghang Yongle supply the 210,000 dwt bulker, the world’s first ammonia-powered dry bulk carrier.

The fuel was produced using renewable electricity at China Energy Engineering’s Songyuan green hydrogen and ammonia project in Jilin province, before being transported through Nanjing to Zhoushan.

The operation brought together China Energy Engineering, CMB.TECH and Jiangsu Andefu Energy Technology, establishing a commercial supply chain stretching from renewable fuel production to delivery onboard an oceangoing vessel.

“The offshore ship-to-ship bunkering model offers remarkable advantages,” said Li Jingguang, chairman of China Energy Engineering’s hydrogen division, noting that future transfers could reach 2,000 or even 3,000 tonnes.

Chinese maritime authorities supervised the operation, implementing special safety measures to handle the highly toxic fuel.

Mineral Europa, delivered earlier this month, is heading across the Pacific to Australia for commercial operations.

CMB.TECH expects 21 ammonia-powered vessels to enter its fleet by 2029, including 18 bulkers.

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