Decarbonisation
11 November 2026
Australia completes first green ammonia bunkering operation
Written by Beatrice Bedeschi
Australia’s first green ammonia bunkering operation was successfully completed in early November.
The bunkering involved the Mineral Europa dry bulk vessel, which was supplied certified green ammonia from a bunker vessel at the Port of Hedland.
The 300-metre vessel was chartered to Fortescue by CMB.TECH and was due to be loaded with iron ore destined to China.
In addition to Mineral Europa, Fortescue charters nine other CMB.TECH vessels that can be converted to run on ammonia in the future.
Clean bunkering hub
The trial demonstrated a practical pathway for the safe refuelling of ammonia-powered vessels in a live port environment, Pilbara Ports, the authority overseeing operations at the Port of Hedland, said.
It builds on the world-first ship-to-ship ammonia transfer completed at the Port of Dampier in 2024 and is part of wider plans to establish Australia’s first clean fuel bunkering hub in the Pilbara.
In 2025–26, more than 9,000 vessels visited Pilbara Ports, including 3,944 iron ore carriers, primarily servicing trade with China.
Converting the iron ore fleet to ammonia fuel could lead to an 88% reduction in CO2 emissions to between 2.7 and 4.5 Mt per year, according to data from Pilbara Ports.
Pilbara Ammonia Hub in Western Australia “is critical to global maritime decarbonisation because it sits at the absolute intersection of massive bulk shipping volume, local green fuel production, and established chemical handling expertise,” Charley Rattan, a UK-based hydrogen expert told BC Insight.
“In establishing green ammonia bunkering here, the maritime industry can directly target one of the world’s highest-emitting commodity corridors, the Australia-East Asia iron ore trade,” he said.
