Australian metal mining company Fortescue has signed a chartering agreement with shipowner Bocimar for an ammonia-fuelled vessel.
Fortescue will receive a 210,000 deadweight tonne (dwt) Newcastlemax carrier from CMB.Tech-owned Bocimar, to deliver its iron ore from the Pilbara region in Australia to China. The dual-fuel vessel is due to be delivered by end 2026, making it the second vessel operated by Fortescue using green ammonia as a marine fuel.
The Fortescue Green Pioneer was the firm's first ammonia-powered vessel, which underwent its first trial at the port of Singapore in March 2024.
"The days of ships operating on dirty bunker fuel, which is responsible for three per cent of global carbon emissions, are numbered," said Fortescue Metals' chief executive officer Dino Otranto. The company plans to eliminate Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its Australian iron ore operations by 2030 and Scope 3 emissions by 2040, said Otranto.
A total of 25 ammonia-fuelled ships were in the order books until mid-2024, according to Norway-based classification agency DNV. This is among a total of 1,630 newbuilds using alternative marine fuels in the order books. CMB, Exmar LPG BV and [NYK] (https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2673536) are among the shipbuilders and shipowners that have been at the forefront in building ammonia-powered technology solutions.