Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and the Netherlands’ CMB.Tech have inked an agreement to deploy nine ammonia-powered vessels between 2026 and 2029.
The Newcastlemax bulk carriers and chemical tankers will be a mix of ammonia-fitted and ammonia-ready systems, allowing the hydrogen compound to fuel operations.
Three ammonia-fitted 210,000 dwt bulk carriers on order at Qingdao Beihai Shipyard will be jointly owned by CMB.Tech and MOL – with the Japanese shipper chartering them for 12 years.
Six chemical tankers – two ammonia-fitted and four ammonia-ready – have also been ordered from China Merchants Jinling Shipyards by CMB.Tech and will be charted to MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) for 10 and seven years respectively.
The carriers are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027, whilst the chemical tankers are anticipated to arrive in 2028 and 2029.
CMB.Tech CEO, Alexander Saverys, said the deal was a “major milestone” in helping shipping meet Net Zero targets.
Ammonia has been slated as one of the key future fuels for shipping. When combusted, it emits no CO2. It is also widely traded as a commodity, meaning port infrastructure is already established.
However, its toxicity and NOx emissions are a point of environmental concern. A report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) claimed switching the global shipping fleet to pure ammonia could cause up to 600,000 additional premature deaths annually.
The researchers said this was due to N2O and NOx emissions from ammonia combustion and unburnt ammonia, which can lead to fine particulate matter forming in the atmosphere.
But by combusting ammonia with hydrogen, MIT said those emissions could be dramatically reduced and potentially cut the number of premature deaths from shipping emissions to 80,000 – around 20,000 fewer than are currently attributed to maritime shipping emissions.
“There is a potential for ammonia in shipping to be beneficial for both climate and air quality, but that requires that regulations be designed to address the entire range of potential impacts, including both climate and air quality,” MIT Professor Noelle Selin.
H2 View subscription
If you’re looking to upgrade your H2 View experience, check out our subscription packages and unlock over FIVE YEARS of content.
With a H2 View subscription, you will gain unlimited access to h2-view.com’s archive of content containing over 13,000 stories, features and interviews – as well as a monthly digital and/or print magazine!
