The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Friday (13 June) launched its Path to Zero-Carbon Shipping – Insights from ammonia transfer trial in the Pilbara report.

The document captures key learnings from a pilot involving the ship-to-ship transfer of liquid ammonia between two gas carriers — the Green Pioneer and the Navigator Global — at anchorage off Port Dampier in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

The trial demonstrated that ship-to-ship ammonia transfer at anchorage can be both safe and practicable, provided that recommended safeguards and operational controls are implemented.

To share these crucial learnings with the industry, the report offers quantitative insights from executing the trial, forming a reference for future pilots and eventual commercial-scale operations.

The report offers:

Project background and objectives: An overview of the trial’s goals and operational context

Detailed safety studies covering four key areas:

• Feasibility: Response motions and mooring analysis
• Risks: HAZID and HAZOP findings and mitigations
• Consequences: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) plume dispersion modelling
• Response: Emergency Response measures and protocols

Operation execution overview: A detailed account of the actual transfer operation, including the Joint Plan of Operations (JPO), assets deployed and a timeline of key events.

Optimising ammonia bunkering: Operational recommendations for both bunker tankers and receiving vessels, covering aspects such as transfer system setup, manifold arrangement, sample collection and more. A checklist of ERP resources required onboard is also included.

“In the past, bunkering guidelines took years to develop and were typically derived from experience with actual operations,” said Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD.

“In this case, guideline development is preceding actual commercial-scale operations, making it all the more important that these trials are as informative and comprehensive as possible so they can serve as a relevant reference for industry bodies in refining safe handling procedures, emergency response plans, and operational guidelines.”

Note: The full report of Path to Zero-Carbon Shipping – Insights from ammonia transfer trial in the Pilbara can be downloaded here.

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 16 June 2025

The Sea Cargo Charter, a global framework for assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of chartering activities, on Thursday (12 June) issued its 2025 Sea Cargo Charter Annual Disclosure Report.

The 77-page document noted most signatories to the Sea Cargo Charter (SCC) – a global climate alignment initiative developed by the Global Maritime Forum – reduced their emission intensity over the last year, reflecting the growing maturity, ambition and transparency of the charter.

However, action will need to accelerate to keep up with the ambitious emission reduction targets set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which become more stringent year-on-year.

The 34 leading charters and shipowners featured in the report represent around 18% of global wet and dry bulk cargo transported by sea in 2024.

This is the second year signatories have reported against the steeper climate alignment trajectories and conditions set out in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy. Despite these challenges, 19 of 34 signatories reduced their emission intensity over the last year, eight improved their climate alignment scores, and several have reported enhanced integration of emissions metrics into operational and chartering decisions.

Signatories were on average 12% behind the minimum international climate goals and 18% behind the striving targets in 2024. Ten signatories reported being 10% behind or less, five were aligned with the minimum trajectory, and three were aligned with the striving trajectory.

“The Sea Cargo Charter continues to be a powerful enabler of progress, helping the maritime industry translate climate ambition into concrete action,” said Engebret Dahm, Sea Cargo Charter vice chair and CEO of Klaveness Combination Carriers.

“This year’s results demonstrate that even as the IMO’s climate goals grow more ambitious, signatories are stepping up with greater transparency, operational improvements, and data integrity. The Charter is not just a reporting tool—it is a stepping stone toward achieving the IMO’s Greenhouse Gas Strategy and Global Transport Zero Framework.”

Note: The full 2025 Sea Cargo Charter Annual Disclosure Report can be downloaded here.

Photo credit: Sea Cargo Charter
Published: 16 June 2025

A group of researchers from the University of Amsterdam initiated a study on the benefits of using ammonia as marine fuel vs fuel oil for freight shipments, said Global Energy Association (GEA) on Thursday (12 June).

They wanted to understand if ammonia could really replace traditional bunker fuels, explained the Moscow-based non-governmental organisation dedicated to energy research and projects.

According to GEA, the Dutch researchers explored two options of the on-board power plant fired by ammonia: the internal combustion engine, and its combination with a solid oxide fuel cell (SOC).

They compared the full cost of ownership for such vessels vs the vessel using fuel oil with account of building costs, fuel costs and maintenance costs for 25 years of operation.

Results showed even in the most optimistic scenario, i.e., given high performance of the engine (up to 55 %) and low ammonia prices, the cost of ownership for such vessels will be 19–25 % more expensive vs the traditional one.

The main reason is high bunker fuel cost. The options with using fuel cells turned out to be even more expensive. They can be cost-effective only in case of extremely high fuel prices or poor performance of the internal combustion engine.

At the same time, the share of CAPEX for the vessel or fuel tanks turned out rather small: practically all the rise in cost is connected with the ammonia price.

The researchers concluded ammonia may be a robust alternative to fuel oil only under two conditions: significant decrease in ammonia prices and introduction of high carbon tax. Without subsidies, the ammonia prices need to be below 28 cents per kilo, or the fuel oil prices need to double (up to USD 1.4 per kilo), but this is possible only in case the carbon tax is USD 200 per one ton of CO₂.

Hence, according to the Dutch researchers, ammonia applications remain an interesting decarbonisation option, but practical use of this fuel will require not only a technological breakthrough, but also strict government regulation.

Photo credit: Venti Views on Unsplash
Published: 16 June 2025