A feasibility study by Lloyd’s Register commissioned by Yara Clean Ammonia and Pilbara Ports showed that ammonia-bunkering could be carried out with acceptable levels of risk at the anchorages of Port Hedland and Dampier.
Ammonia production from Yara’s Karratha plant could provide a fuel supply while Pilbara Ports’ Bulk Liquids Berth at Dampier could be used to start bunkering operations.
“The study is an important step towards implementing safe ship to ship ammonia bunkering at our anchorages in Dampier and Port Hedland,” said Pilbara Ports Chief Executive Officer Samuel McSkimming.
“Ammonia is already widely produced, used, and shipped in industrial quantities around the world. To be able to expand its application as a green shipping fuel would greatly reduce shipping emissions.”
The scale of seaborne iron exports from Pilbara Ports are seen as making it ideal for enabling the decarbonisation the dry bulk shipping trades. Last year Pilbara Ports handled 752.4 million tonnes of cargo and more than 6,829 vessel visits.
“This scale of operations cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and it makes the Pilbara’s ports the natural beachhead from which the global bulk carrier fleet will decarbonise,” McSkimming said.
Pilbara Ports and Yara said they plan to continue working together as first movers to enable safe ammonia bunkering in the Pilbara.
Australian mining company Fortescue Metals Group plans convert its fleet of eight of Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs) to run on ammonia
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