COP29: Höegh Autoliners, Fortescue join hands to propel green ammonia adoption

Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners and Australian mining giant Fortescue have partnered to explore the technical and commercial requirements for producing, transporting and storing green ammonia for bunkering.

MODEL: Concept of LNG-capable, ammonia-ready vessel. Höegh Autoliners.

The study will assess the feasibility of Fortescue supplying green ammonia from its upcoming projects, with Höegh Autoliners potentially using it for bunkering operations.

“Only green ammonia can help us reduce carbon emissions in shipping and in turn can help us address the worst impacts of climate change,” the Mark Hutchinson, chief executive of Fortescue Energy said.

The duo has also urged the IMO to establish a “clear, robust regulatory framework” to accelerate the adoption of green ammonia.

“We need early incentives for hydrogen derived fuels – specifically ammonia for 2030 – otherwise, we are kicking the can down the road and leaving too large a scale up for the 2040s,” Hutchinson added.

Fortescue tested liquid ammonia as bunker fuel on one of its vessels in two separate trials in Singapore earlier this year. In one trial, it used diesel as a pilot fuel, and in the other trial, it used a biofuel blend of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) and diesel. However, the pilot fuel-to-ammonia ratio was not specified.

Meanwhile, Höegh Autoliners has ordered 12 ammonia-ready vessels. Ammonia-ready means that while these vessels will not initially operate on ammonia, they are designed for future retrofitting to enable ammonia propulsion.

Eight of the 12 vessels will operate on dual-fuel LNG upon delivery. The company plans to retrofit four of these vessels to run on ammonia once the required engines become available in 2026, with delivery of the retrofitted ships expected by 2027.

By Konica Bhatt

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