Mitsui O.S.K. Lines: bulk vessel bunkering in the Pilbara by 2030

Joins NH3 Clean Energy, Oceania Marine Energy and Pilbara Ports

Click to learn more. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has joined an initiative to deploy ammonia bunkering in the Pilbara by 2030, servicing the West Australia-East Asia iron ore supply corridor. Source: Pilbara Ports.

MOL has become the first shipping line and future fuel customer to join the Pilbara Clean Fuels Bunkering Hub initiative, a roadmap to ammonia bunkering by 2030 that was launched this year during the AEA’s APAC conference. In the initiative, NH3 Clean Energy will supply low-emission ammonia fuel to Pilbara Ports for bunkering in Dampier and Hedland (Western Australia), while Oceania Marine Energy will own and operate 10,000 m³ capacity ammonia bunkering vessels. New partner MOL aims for its under-development, Capesize bulk carrier vessels to be bunkered in the Pilbara by 2030, servicing the iron ore supply corridor between northwestern Australia and Asia.

MOL and CMB.TECH will jointly own the three ammonia dual-fuel Capesize bulkers, which are scheduled to be delivered by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s Qingdao Beihai Shipyard between 2026 and 2027. MOL will charter and operate the vessels, focused on the West Australia to East Asia trade route. Under the new MoU, MOL, NH3 Clean Energy and Oceania will collaborate on ammonia bunkering, progress NH3’s WAH2 ammonia production project, and “jointly propose solutions to Western Australian iron ore suppliers and work to address issues such as safety in ammonia bunkering operations”.

We are honored to sign this MoU with NH3 and Oceania today, which will be a vital hub for our ammonia dual-fueled capesize bulkers scheduled to commence operations from 2026. This collaboration marks an important milestone in our efforts to establish a safe and reliable ammonia bunkering operation in the Pilbara region. By working closely with our partners, we look forward to building a robust framework for safe ammonia bunkering and advancing sustainable shipping together.

MOL’s Managing Executive Officer Kazuhiro Takahashi, in his organisation’s official press release, 7 Oct 2025

We are delighted to have this agreement with MOL that helps to take the clean ammonia bunkering business another step closer to reality. This new agreement reinforces the growing momentum behind the shift to low-emission maritime fuels and builds on the existing Joint Development Agreement between NH3, Pilbara Ports, and Oceania Marine to establish an ammonia hub in the Pilbara by 2030. We sincerely appreciate Premier Cook and his team’s continued support in helping to establish this emerging clean energy industry – paving the way for a more sustainable future for our mining sector and energy exports.

NH3 Clean Energy Chairman Charles Whitfield, in MOL’s official press release, 7 Oct 2025

Oceania’s collaboration with MOL and NH3 Clean Energy shows how partnerships across the energy and shipping sectors can deliver real emission reduction outcomes for Australia’s iron ore exporters and shipping industry. By combining NH3’s clean ammonia production capacity, Pilbara Ports’ infrastructure, Oceania’s bunker services and MOL’s pioneering dual-fuel fleet, we are creating an integrated end-to-end marine fuel solution that enables our customers to meet the IMO’s decarbonisation targets.

Oceania Marine Energy Managing Director Nick Bentley, in MOL’s official press release, 7 Oct 2025