CMB.TECH has signed an off-take agreement for renewable ammonia produced by Energy China at its now-operational Songyuan project in Jilin Province, northeast China. CMB.TECH will also acquire a minority stake in Jiangsu Andefu (ADF) one of China's largest ammonia supply chain companies and China’s first exporter of liquid ammonia in 2011.
Ammonia-fueled iron ore carriers could feasibly be deployed on the South Africa-Europe iron ore trade route as soon as 2029, and scale toward full route decarbonisation by 2035. Saldanha Bay is currently home to South Africa’s primary iron-ore export terminal, and could develop into a marine ammonia fuel bunker hub with the right policy support levers and investment.
Cleanergy’s integrated renewable pilot plant in Walvis Bay, Namibia is now online. The pilot is the first phase of a much larger project which will produce commercial scale renewable ammonia fuel: 185,000 tons per year by 2028.
The Newcastlemax vessel is expected to be delivered to Fortescue by the end of 2026, and will feature WinGD’s X‑DF‑A dual-fuel engine. The vessel is one of a series under construction at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding in China.
Between 2026 and 2029, Mitsui O.S.K Lines will add three ammonia-powered Capesize bulkers and six chemical tankers to its fleet through joint ownership and chartership with CMB.TECH. MOL, Namura Shipbuilding and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding have also received AiP from ClassNK for a large-size ammonia-powered ammonia carrier.
We explore Namibia’s vision of a sprawling hydrogen ecosystem. The country plans to leverage its competitive wind and solar energy potential and strategic coastal location to produce electrolytic hydrogen and ammonia for the global market. We also highlight some of the key projects and partnerships already underway, and some key bottlenecks that must be overcome.
WinGD’s X‑DF‑A dual-fuel engines have been ordered by Singapore-based shipping giant AET for deployment onboard new Aframax tankers, being built in China. Fishing vessels operators Vardin and Framherji have ordered Wärtsilä 25 engines for a series of three fishing trawlers that will operate in the Faroe Islands. In construction news, CMB.TECH will build the Yara Eyde vessel for Yara and North Sea Container Line in China, with vessel delivery scheduled for mid-2026.
International crude oil giant Euronav and CMB.TECH will merge to form a new clean shipping entity. The future fleet will feature nearly one hundred ammonia-fueled ships, including Ultramaxes, large-scale container vessels, long-range carriers and chemical tankers. Further details have also emerged about CMB.TECH’s ammonia fuel production project in Namibia, which is targeting a yearly production capacity of 185,000 tonnes of ammonia fuel by 2028.
Wärtsilä’s 4-stroke ammonia engine is now commercially available. Meanwhile, WinGD and CMB.TECH’s plan for newbuild vessels based on WinGD’s 72-bore ammonia engine design has been underwritten in partnership with China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
In Japan, NYK and TBG will develop a new ammonia bunkering boom to help reduce ammonia leakage during fuel transfers. On the newbuild front, Stolt Tanker’s six newbuild vessels will have the option of being retrofitted for ammonia propulsion, including the recently delivered Bochem Houston. Wallenius’ four “next generation” vessels will be initially methanol powered, with the option to run on ammonia.
Two ammonia-ready vessels - the CMA CGM Masai Mara and the ALS Ceres - were delivered this May. Both are the first in a series of six containerships contracted to be built at different Chinese shipyards.
WinGD and CMB.TECH will team up to develop & deploy ammonia-fueled, two-stroke engines in ten Capesize bulk carriers, to be built at the Beihai shipyard in China. The pair will continue development of WinGD’s dual fuel X72DF design, which was first announced in December 2021. Delivery of the vessels is due in 2025-6.
The US and Norway launched the Green Shipping Challenge in Sharm el-Sheikh this month. The Challenge encompasses more than forty different announcements & initiatives, including ammonia fuel production in Namibia, ammonia-powered cargo shipping in Finland, ammonia-powered pilot vessels in Norway's Green Shipping Programme, and a host of new green corridor projects. A trio of new reports have also provided an assessment of progress to date in green corridor development, and suggested key next steps.