Green Ammonia Enters Maritime Shipping: First Commercial Ship-to-Ship Bunkering

China executed the world's first commercial ship-to-ship bunkering operation for green ammonia, delivering 1,000 tons of green ammonia to a vessel designed to operate on this fuel.

A liquefied gas carrier, designed by FKAB Marine Design, completed what Jiangsu Andefu Energy Development describes as the world's first commercial ship-to-ship bunkering of green ammonia fuel.

Earlier this month, the vessel "Sheng Hang Yong Li" supplied the "Mineral Europa," an ammonia-powered ship owned by the Belgian maritime group CMB.TECH, with 1,000 tons of green ammonia in the Zhoushan anchorage area in Zhejiang Province, China.

According to Ship Management International, this operation demonstrates the feasibility of safely transferring green ammonia from ship to ship for use as marine fuel.

Ammonia is expected to play a significant role in the transition of the maritime shipping sector away from fossil fuels, particularly in deep-sea navigation sectors where direct electrification is not a practical option.

When produced using renewable energy, ammonia provides a pathway to carbon-neutral maritime transport regarding fuel-related emissions.

However, ammonia-powered vessels require more than just new engines and fuel systems; they depend on safe and reliable infrastructure capable of transporting, storing, and delivering fuel where it is most needed.

Therefore, the commercial bunkering operation carried out by "Sheng Hang Yong Li" represents a crucial step toward providing green ammonia as a marine fuel at scale.

FKAB had developed the original L21 vessel design to be a flexible liquefied gas carrier operating under partial cooling and pressure conditions.

Upon selecting this vessel for conversion into a dedicated ammonia bunkering tanker, FKAB continued its involvement by preparing technical design documentation in collaboration with Glory Holder, a specialist in cargo handling systems.

Peter Hermansson, Managing Director of FKAB Marine Design, stated: "The completed bunkering operation serves as important evidence of ammonia's viability as a marine fuel. It shows how a flexible vessel platform, supported by engineering and safety systems, can become part of the necessary infrastructure for the shipping industry's transition away from fossil fuels."

He added, "We are proud that a vessel designed by FKAB contributed to making the commercialization of green ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering a tangible reality."

Jiangsu Andefu Energy Development led the conversion process and obtained the necessary certifications, working closely with the China Classification Society.

FKAB and Glory Holder prepared the required technical drawing documents for the conversion process.

The conversion included modifications to the fuel supply system, establishment of operational procedures, risk assessments, and the creation of safety and emergency response arrangements.

Special attention was paid to risks associated with ammonia's high toxicity, material compatibility, low-temperature operations, leak detection, and risk control during bunkering operations.

The vessel "Sheng Hang Yong Li" completed the conversion in August 2026 and received the first liquid ammonia bunkering certificate issued by a maritime classification society.

Bunkering operations conducted in Zhoushan proved the vessel's efficiency and practical capability to perform these tasks.

"Sheng Hang Yong Li" transported the green ammonia from an Andefu storage facility in Nanjing to Zhoushan.

With the delivery of the cargo to the "Mineral Europa," a comprehensive supply chain covering production, land transport, storage, sea transport, and ship-to-ship bunkering was completed.

This project serves as a practical model for how an existing gas carrier equipped to handle ammonia can be converted into an operational asset dedicated to bunkering operations.