Pipeline linking North Sea Port, Antwerp and Ruhr technically, economically viable
By on March 23, 2026
North Sea Port confirms successful feasibility study
Click to learn more. An ammonia pipeline linking Vlissgenen, Terneuzen (pictured), Antwerp and the Ruhr is technically and economically feasible, following a study by North Sea Port and partners. Source: North Sea Port.
Based on plans by existing stakeholders to import and store expanded ammonia volumes in Vlissingen and Terneuzen (Netherlands), local authority North Sea Port commissioned a feasibility study exploring ammonia transport from the coast to customers in the Ruhr industrial hinterland, via Belgium. Results from the study showed that an ammonia pipeline linking Vlissgenen, Terneuzen, Antwerp and the Ruhr is technically possible, safe and can also be economically viable in the long term, though there are no “concrete plans” to realize the new infrastructure. The study was commissioned by North Sea Port, Smart Delta Resources and the Province of Zeeland, and conducted by consultancy firms WSP and Aviv.
Transport cost dependant on import volumes
The feasibility study assumed a total import volume of 3 million tons of ammonia per year in 2040, and looked at three types of ammonia transport: rail, inland waterways and pipeline. The results emphasize that all three transport modalities need to be developed simultaneously, though there are cost differences:
For smaller quantities, transport by rail is the cheapest option. For medium-sized volumes, transport by inland waterways is often more efficient. Transport by rail or inland waterway is necessary in any case to allow the market to grow and reach the scale of transport by pipeline. For even larger quantities of ammonia, transport by pipeline is the most cost-effective option in the long term…This means that a pipeline from North Sea Port to Antwerp and the German Ruhr area will be profitable as soon as sufficient ammonia is transported.
Transport modality costs, from North Sea Port’s official press release, 4 Mar 2026
Looking at a longer period through to 2050, the study concludes that a pipeline for “large quantities” of ammonia has the lowest costs.
The study also weighed up the advantages and limitations of each modality. Although ammonia transport by rail occurs in Europe at the moment, extra infrastructure and investment will be required to meet this volumes (eg. Bulgaria-based Agropolychim’s investment of €15 million in a new fleet of ammonia carrying railway cars). Inland waterway transport of ammonia is (likewise) currently done in Europe, but the number of vessels and routes is limited. A cross-border ammonia pipeline like the one in the feasibility study would require close consultation between Dutch and Belgian authorities, as well as definitive agreements on safety and regulatory requirements. There are no current guidelines for ammonia pipeline best-practice available for Europe, although ISPT (the Netherlands-based Institute for Sustainable Process Technology) has proposed its own set of risk mitigation measures drawing on experience from other industries.