ITOCHU, TORAY and Uyeno Transtech have signed a joint development agreement for ammonia bunkering in Japan. Ship management company BSM will oversee the technical management of ITOCHU’s 5000m3 capacity newbuild ammonia bunkering vessel, set to be delivered to Singapore in 2027.
The first two recipients in Japan’s long-term contracts for difference program for low-carbon hydrogen production have been announced. Resonac will produce hydrogen from used plastics and subsequently ammonia, with Japanese chemicals giant Nippon Shokubai to act as offtaker.
MOL has become the first shipping line and future fuel customer to join the Pilbara Clean Fuels Bunkering Hub initiative. 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 West Australia and East Asia.
Japanese glass bottle manufacturer Nihon Yamamura Glass and the University of Osaka will embark on a research project to substitute city gas fuel for ammonia fuel in glass manufacturing.
At the recent GasTech event in Italy, new agreements were signed for the development and execution of floating ammonia cracking (MOL and KBR), gas-based ammonia production (SBM Offshore), and renewable electricity-based ammonia production (H2Carrier).
At the recent Japan-India Summit, the governments committed to cooperation on R&D, development of policy, regulations, market mechanisms, infrastructure, and the establishment of a hydrogen/ammonia trade corridor between India and Japan.
At the recent Tokyo International Conference on African Development, Japan-based Mizuho financial group signed MoUs with the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme and Tsubame BHB for project development in Africa.
Japan Engine Corporation has announced commercial readiness for its new 2-stroke, dual-fuel engine. The first engine unit will be installed on an ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier next month, with the vessel scheduled to enter service in 2026.