photo credit: Yara Clean Ammonia
Australia Completes First Ship-to-Ship Ammonia Bunkering in Pilbara Anchorage
Perth, Australia – June 13, 2025: A consortium of industry leaders has completed Australia’s inaugural offshore ship-to-ship (STS) ammonia bunkering operation, marking a pivotal achievement in the transition toward low-carbon marine fuels.
The trial, conducted by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) in collaboration with Yara Clean Ammonia, Pilbara Ports Authority, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Navigator Gas, and other strategic partners, took place at the anchorage off Port Dampier, Western Australia.
The operation involved two gas carriers—the 35,000 m³ Green Pioneer and the 22,500 m³ Navigator Global—transferring approximately 4,000 m³ (2,700 tonnes) of ammonia across two back-to-back transfers on September 14, 2024 . Each transfer took around six hours to complete.
A rigorous safety regime was in place, including HAZID and HAZOP assessments, emergency-response planning, CFD modelling of potential leaks, and high-integrity transfer systems. These measures ensured no significant risks were identified during the trial.
Yara Clean Ammonia spearheaded the cargo supply, chartered the Green Pioneer, and contributed vital engineering support; GCMD handled safety modelling and planning; Pilbara Ports provided port infrastructure and anchorage oversight.
Importance and Implications
-
Operational Proof of Concept: Demonstrates that ammonia bunkering can be conducted safely and efficiently in real-world maritime environments.
-
Decarbonisation Momentum: Ammonia offers zero CO₂ emissions when combusted, representing a critical alternative fuel in efforts to reduce shipping’s share of global greenhouse emissions (~3%).
-
Strategic Hub Potential: Pilbara, with its existing ammonia production and export operations—including Yara’s 850,000 tpa plant in Karratha—and planned green ammonia expansions like Project Yuri (2026), is positioned as a global bunkering hub.
Stakeholders are now working toward commercialising ammonia bunkering infrastructure at Dampier by 2030. NH₃ Clean Energy and Oceania Marine Energy recently announced an MoU with Pilbara Ports to deploy ammonia bunkering services for the iron ore fleet in the coming years.
Meanwhile, momentum is building behind ammonia-fuelled vessels, with orders and deliveries expected beginning in 2026, including dual-fuel carriers by MOL, BHP’s ammonia-powered bulk carriers, and several other operators globally.
Global regulatory bodies such as the IMO and stakeholders like Lloyd’s Register and DNV will leverage lessons from this trial to establish robust safety standards and operational frameworks for ammonia bunkering.
The successful ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering at Port Dampier stands as a landmark achievement, demonstrating both technical and operational readiness for alternative marine fuels. As ammonia production scales and vessels adapt, Australia’s Pilbara emerges as a cornerstone in the global clean shipping transition.
