First ammonia bunker pilot completed in Rotterdam
By on April 21, 2025
Trammo, OCI, James Fisher Fendercare complete ship-to-ship transfer at berth
Click to learn more. Rotterdam’s first ammonia bunker pilot has taken place, with a ship-to-ship transfer successfully executed while the vessels were at birth in the Port. Source: Port of Rotterdam.
Facilitated by the Port of Rotterdam, the partners successfully completed a ship-to-ship transfer of ammonia between the vessels Oceanic Moon and Gas Utopia earlier this month. The vessels were berthed at APM Terminals Maasvlakte while a transfer of 800 m3 of liquid ammonia (-33 ℃) took place over the course of 2.5 hours. OCI supplied the ammonia, carried aboard Trammo’s vessels, and James Fisher Fendercare provided equipment and operational expertise. Bunker barge operator Victrol, the DCMR Environmental Protection Agency, Rijnmond Safety Region, and the Joint Fire Service were also involved to ensure smooth execution of the bunker transfer.
James Fisher Fendercare was also a key partner in the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation-led ship-to-ship ammonia transfer in the Pilbara last year. At outer anchorage in the Port of Dampier, two transfers were completed between the Green Pioneer and the Navigator Global, with 2,700 tons transferred back-and-forth between the vessels over the course of a day.
The successful pilot raises the Port of Rotterdam’s “Port Readiness Level” for new marine fuels to the deployment phase. Created by the World Port Climate Action Programme (WPCAP) in conjunction with the International association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), “Port Readiness Level” is an internationally-recognized, self-assessment tool used by port authorities to prepare for the deployment of new fuels. The full digital tool is made available to IAPH members, but a publicly-available pdf version is also available to interested parties. Now at level 7 for ammonia bunker fuel deployment, the Port of Rotterdam has all safety procedures in place to allow ammonia bunkering on a project basis.
Click to learn more. Map of decarbonization pilots in Rotterdam under Project MAGPIE. Source: MAGPIE Consortium.
The ship-to-ship transfer is part of the broader European MAGPIE programme, which brings together ports, research institutes, universities and companies to develop and deploy a series of decarbonization pilots in Rotterdam. Ammonia bunkering is just one of a number of projects.