Consortium to study feasibility of ammonia bunkering in the US West Coast
Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo has partnered with a group of companies to jointly study the feasibility of establishing a supply chain to support ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering of ammonia in the US West Coast ports, including Oakland and Benicia.
PHOTO: CALAMCO’s ammonia terminal in Stockton. Sumitomo
Sumitomo considers clean ammonia “the most promising alternative marine fuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) direct emissions within the shipping industry.” The company plans to develop an end-to-end supply chain to support green and blue ammonia bunkering.
Other project partners include classification society ABS, California-based cooperative CALAMCO, Hong Kong-based ship management firm Fleet Management and US shipbuilder TOTE Services.
The study seeks to investigate the feasibility of using CALAMCO’s current ammonia storage facility at the Port of Stockton for a pilot demonstration project. This project would involve supplying ammonia bunkering services to car carriers at the Port of Benicia and container vessels at the Port of Oakland.
Given ammonia’s toxic nature, safety assessments are crucial for establishing guidelines regarding the use of ammonia as a marine fuel. Involvement from pertinent US government agencies and experts will be sought to develop standardized protocols for safe operations and regulations, Sumitomo said.
Apart from the ports of Oakland and Benicia, the study will encompass “nearby major ports in U.S. West Coast.”
Sumitomo has been focusing on ammonia as an alternative bunker fuel.
In December last year, Sumitomo and Norwegian logistics company Höegh Autoliners agreed to collaborate on the supply of ammonia as bunker fuel at the ports of Singapore and Jacksonville from 2027.
Prior to that in November, Sumitomo partnered with two other Japanese firms to study, design and build an ammonia dual-fuel Handymax bulk carrier.
By Tuhin Roy
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