World’s First Ammonia-Powered Dry Bulk Carrier Sets Sail On Its Maiden Voyage To Australia

CMB.TECH’s ammonia-powered bulk carrier, Mineral Europa, began its first voyage to Australia. The bulk carrier, with a deadweight of 210,000 tonnes, is the world’s first ammonia-fueled vessel, built at China’s Qingdao Beihai Shipyard.

As per reports, the company has been working on building this vessel for a decade to facilitate the use of ammonia as an alternative marine fuel. This vessel is designed for the transportation of dry bulk cargo.

The vessel operates on a dual-fuel propulsion system, which means it can either use ammonia or run on conventional marine fuels. This emphasises the company’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in large vessels going into the ocean, as a combustion engine using ammonia as a source of fuel produces no carbon dioxide.

By 2029, CMB.TECH is planning to add 21 more ammonia-powered ships to its fleet of ammonia-powered vessels. The complete list of scheduled deliveries consists of the delivery of one container vessel, two chemical tankers, and a total of 18 dry bulk carriers, with most deliveries having an expected timeline of the next nine months.

The maritime company positions this new change that came with the introduction of ammonia-powered carriers as a major development in controlling carbon emissions.

Commenting on green ammonia production, CMB. TECH said that this fuel encourages emission reduction and reduced dependence on greater energy, as it can be produced from renewable sources like air, water and power.

However, the press release issued by CMB.TECH announcing the voyage of Mineral Europa does not give any account of the ammonia consumption of the vessel in its maiden sail or the measurements of emissions at separate engine loads.

The CEO of CMB.TECH, Alexander Saverys, mentioned that decarbonisation is no longer a distant goal. He marked ammonia technology and the vessels powered by it as a game changer for the shipping industry, as the reduction of emissions by the vessels has been a burning topic for some time.

The entry of Mineral Europa into the shipping industry opens up new horizons for the application of ammonia propulsion as a major segment in the shipping commercial arena. This voyage will be an important step in defining a milestone in operating the new technology on a large maritime bulk carrier.

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