Ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering trial completed at Port Hedland

CMB.TECH’s first ammonia-capable vessel has been bunkered with an undisclosed quantity of green ammonia at the Port of Port Hedland in Australia’s Pilbara region.

IMAGE: Ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering of the ammonia-capable bulk carrier Mineral Europa in Hedland. Pilbara Ports

The fuel was delivered to the Fortescue-chartered bulk carrier Mineral Europa by the ammonia bunker vessel Shenghang Yongle in a ship-to-ship operation.

The port authority has not disclosed the fuel supplier for the trial. However, it said the operation builds on its 2024 ship-to-ship ammonia transfer pilot and supports its wider ammonia bunkering ambitions, which involve fuel producer Yara Clean Ammonia as one of its partners.

The operation has demonstrated “a practical pathway for safely refuelling ammonia-powered vessels in a live port environment”, paving the way for future ammonia bunkering at Port Hedland, the port authority said.

Mineral Europa is the first vessel in CMB.TECH’s planned fleet of 21 ammonia-capable vessels by 2029. Several more vessels are due for delivery over the next nine months.

Australian mining firm Fortescue is also exploring ammonia to reduce emissions from its iron ore supply chain. It has chartered three ammonia-capable and nine ammonia-ready vessels from CMB.TECH, including Mineral Europa, with the remaining vessels yet to be delivered.

Fortescue also operates the ammonia-capable Green Pioneer.

By Konica Bhatt

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