The industry completed the world’s first ship-to-ship ammonia transfer using vessels at anchorage in a working port environment. This milestone brings the industry closer to realizing ammonia as a sustainable shipping fuel and enabling worldwide bunkering.
Yara’s Expertise in Safe Ammonia Handling
Yara, a global leader in ammonia production and distribution, contributed their expertise in safe ammonia handling. They nominated an ammonia vessel from their Time Charter fleet and provided the ammonia used in the transfers.
Murali Srinivasan, SVP Commercial Yara Clean Ammonia, emphasized the significance of this achievement. He stated, “This demonstrates that we can perform ammonia transfer with the highest safety standards and efficiency. The transfer is a major milestone to decarbonize shipping using low-emission ammonia as fuel.”
Collaborative Effort in Port Dampier, Western Australia
Yara Clean Ammonia, Pilbara Ports Authority, and GCMD collaborated to achieve this successful operation. They conducted the transfer in Port Dampier, located in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. It enhances the Pilbara’s potential as a low-emission ammonia bunkering hub.
Producers create low-emission ammonia using renewable energy and water electrolysis or with carbon capture and storage. It emits no CO2 when burned.
Developing Safety Guidelines and Regulatory Framework
For over two years, Pilbara Ports Authority and Yara Clean Ammonia have been investigating the demand for ammonia fuel. They have been working on the required bunker infrastructure, safety guidelines, and the necessary regulatory framework. GCMD’s leadership expanded this partnership and attracted additional partners who made indispensable contributions to the transfer operation.
Port Dampier has extensive experience with ammonia cargoes, with Yara Pilbara’s nearby operations shipping 11.8 million tonnes incident-free.
Details of the Ship-to-Ship Transfers
The two ship-to-ship transfers occurred between the Green Pioneer and the Navigator Global. MOL owns the Green Pioneer, a 35,000 cubic meter (cbm) ammonia carrier. Navigator Gas owns the Navigator Global, a 22,500 cbm ammonia carrier.
The trial involved a dual transfer of 4,000 cbm (approximately 2,715 tonnes) of ammonia. They first transferred the ammonia from the Green Pioneer to the Navigator Global and then back to the Green Pioneer.
Decarbonizing the Shipping Industry
- International shipping accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
- The industry sees clean ammonia as a low to zero-emission fuel that can help decarbonize shipping.
- Ammonia can also help meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Yara has been producing and shipping ammonia with the highest safety standards and efficient operations for over a century.
Murali Srinivasan expressed gratitude to all partners involved, highlighting the leadership of GCMD and the Pilbara Port Authority. He also thanked the team at Yara Clean Ammonia and the Yara Pilbara plant for their significant contribution.
Yara Pilbara’s Decarbonization Measures
Yara Pilbara’s Chief Operations Officer, Laurent Trost, noted that the successful trials were extremely encouraging. The Pilbara operations are moving forward with key decarbonization measures.
These measures include the Project Yuri renewable hydrogen demonstration plant. It will begin injecting green molecules into the ammonia production process next year. They are also investigating carbon capture and storage to significantly reduce carbon output from their operations.
With government planning for green electricity transmission enablement, Yara Pilbara aims to develop low-carbon ammonia products. These products will be used in the shipping industry, clean fuels, and decarbonized ammonium nitrate and fertilizer products.
About Yara Clean Ammonia
Yara Clean Ammonia, a division of Yara International, is uniquely positioned to enable the hydrogen economy. The market is expected to grow substantially over the next decades.
They aim to strengthen their leading global position as the world’s largest ammonia distributor. They are unlocking green and blue value chains and driving the development of clean ammonia globally.
Yara Clean Ammonia operates the largest global ammonia network with 15 ships. Through Yara, they have access to 18 ammonia terminals and multiple ammonia production and consumption sites worldwide. In fiscal year 2023, the company reported revenues of USD 1.9 billion and an EBITDA of USD 101 million. Yara Clean Ammonia is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.
About Yara Pilbara
Yara created a world-class downstream processing precinct in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Yara Pilbara Fertilisers plant is a world-scale facility that produces ammonia for export to global markets. The ammonia is mainly used in fertilizers.
The Yara Pilbara Nitrates technical ammonium nitrate plant is a joint venture with Orica. It converts ammonia into a material crucial for unlocking the wealth of Western Australia’s mining industry. The company has 220 residential employees based in Karratha.
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