Pilbara Ports Launches Roadmap for Ammonia Bunkering

 

Australia’s Pilbara Ports Authority has launched a clean fuel bunkering roadmap that is intended to position the region as a global leader in maritime decarbonization. The roadmap explores the creation of Australia’s first ammonia fuel bunkering hub in the Pilbara, a key region for iron ore mining.

This comes almost a year after a consortium led by the Global Center for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) carried out two pilot ship-to-ship ammonia transfers at anchorages within Port of Dampier in Pilbara. The trial project was aimed at simulating ammonia bunkering operations in a port scenario. The trial included assessing factors such as the technical, logistical, safety and regulatory requirements associated with ammonia transfer within an operating port’s anchorage.

With the success of the pilot project, Pilbara Ports hopes that establishing a clean fuel bunkering hub would greatly cut its carbon footprint. Some studies estimate that lower carbon ammonia fuels could cut regional shipping emissions by up to 94 percent.

The Pilbara region in Western Australia hosts the country’s largest iron ore mines. Based on this, Pilbara Ports Authority operates some of the world’s largest bulk export ports, including Dampier and Port Hedland.

Pilbara is uniquely placed to become a global ammonia bunkering hub, with ports in the region serving on of the world’s busiest iron ore export corridors. In 2023-24, Pilbara Ports facilitated over 7,700 vessel visits, primarily on the Pilbara-China iron ore route.

“The launch of Pilbara Ports’ Clean Fuel Bunkering Hub Strategy is a pivotal step forward for Western Australia’s clean energy future. By enabling clean fuel bunkering in Pilbara, we are helping global shipping reduce emissions while we unlock new economic opportunities for the state,” said Stephen Dawson, Western Australia Ports Minister.

To finalize critical workstreams of the project, Pilbara Ports has said that is working with industry partners, with another trial scheduled at the Port of Hedland in 2026. Yara Clean Ammonia, a subsidiary of the Norwegian fertilizer manufacturer Yara, is one of the partners. The company has pledged to utilize its assets in the Pilbara, primarily the Yara Pilbara Fertilizers plant to supply ammonia fuel. To ramp up ammonia production, Yara Pilbara Fertilizers is also a partner in the Yuri Renewable Hydrogen to Ammonia Project, scheduled to start next year in Karratha, Western Australia.

The ammonia fuel value chain in the shipping industry is steadily maturing, with the first two-stroke dual-fueled ammonia engine expected to be operational early next year. In addition, the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) this week unveiled a design for a 3,500 TEU container feeder to be powered by ammonia. The vessel features advanced safety features, such ammonia leak detection systems and a “safe refuge” crew area.

Australian mining giant Fortescue has also reached an agreement with CMB.TECH to charter an ammonia dual-fuel Newcastlemax, scheduled for delivery by the end of next year. Fortescue wants to decarbonize all of its Scope 3 emissions - including its shipping emissions - by 2040.