James Fisher Supports Successful Ammonia Ship-to-Ship Transfer

[By: James Fisher Fendercare]

James Fisher Fendercare (JF Fendercare) - part of James Fisher and Sons plc, supported an industry consortium led by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD)- to undertake ammonia ship-to-ship transfers in Pilbara, Australia. The success of this operation helps to pave the way for ammonia to be used as a sustainable marine fuel. 

The consortium aimed to assess how ammonia can be safely bunkered for the marine industry, as a sustainable fuel. Due to the toxic and harmful nature of the cargo, its safe handling is a major industry concern. This important pilot project was designed to demonstrate the operational viability of future ammonia bunkering and highlight the potential of ammonia as a zero-carbon solution. 

In the absence of ammonia bunkering vessels and ammonia-powered ships, ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of ammonia serve as the closest proxy to bunkering operations. JF Fendercare has extensive STS operational expertise that was leveraged for this pilot. The trial built upon established industry transfer procedures, incorporating additional safety measures to address the heightened risks associated with bunkering. As the shipping industry advances its decarbonisation efforts and explores ammonia as a marine fuel, testing and operationalising these enhanced safety protocols were critical objectives of this pilot.

Wee Meng Tan, chief projects officer at GCMD said: “As with any operation, and especially for one such pioneering endeavour, unexpected challenges and hiccups can arise. JF Fendercare’s ops team onboard the vessels professionally managed these changes to ensure operations continued tapping into their past experience with STS transfers. Their equipment performed as expected and we are grateful for their support in this pilot.”

Ruth Christie, product line director at JF Fendercare said: “We’re extremely proud to have been involved in this industry-leading initiative with the GCMD and its partners, helping to demonstrate the operational viability of ammonia as a sustainable marine fuel. The potential of ammonia is huge as a zero–carbon fuel to accelerate the energy transition. STS services can play a significant role in supporting the industry’s development, to meet increasing demand and support global energy supply security. The additional safety measures required for ammonia’s safe handling are a key consideration as the industry grows. Our thanks go to everyone involved in making this prestigious project a success.”

The successful pilot was undertaken at the Port of Dampier in Pilbara, Western Australia, a future green ammonia bunkering hub. The transfer operations revealed the operational viability of future ammonia bunkering in the Pilbara region. JF Fendercare was contracted to help coordinate and plan this exercise, with its specialist operations team undertaking meticulous operational coordination and planning, conducting all pre-operational studies, compatibility assessments, detailed risk assessments and dynamic mooring analyses to support the safe execution of the pilot.

In close collaboration with consortium partners, JF Fendercare also supported the development of additional STS operational procedures to meet project requirements, including the use of emergency release couplings, emergency shutdown devices and other safety equipment such as hazmat suits, personal ammonia gas detectors and the implementation of hot-gas and nitrogen purging to remove any residual ammonia in the transfers systems.

Doug Conway, APAC regional director at JF Fendercare said: “I was delighted to witness first-hand the safe and successful outcome of a well-executed ammonia STS transfer, especially considering it involved a new cargo, in a new STS operational location. The number of different stakeholders involved, the remote location of operation, exposure to the weather as well as unfamiliar territory have all added to its complexity. Working closely together our team and partners did a fantastic job at harnessing their specialist skills and experience to ensure the challenges were overcome and the ammonia cargo was transferred safely. It’s been a privilege to support GCMD and their partners in this pioneering operation, helping set the standards for safe transfer of ammonia at sea. We look forward to supporting more of these operations in future.”

JF Fendercare is a world-leading ship-to-ship (STS) transfer provider offering a complete solution for complex offshore operations. We are committed to safely assisting the sustainable energy transition through our pioneering marine solutions, protecting people and our oceans.