NH3 Clean Energy (NH3) on Tuesday (10 June) said it it has signed a non-binding Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Pilbara Ports Authority (Pilbara Ports) and Oceania Marine Energy (Oceania) to establish low-emissions ammonia bunkering operations to service iron ore carriers at the Port of Dampier.
Approximately 3,002 bulk carriers currently export iron ore from the Pilbara to Asia. Sixteen bulk carriers using ammonia as fuel and bunkering exclusively at the Pilbara end of the route would require ~600,000 TPA of clean ammonia – more than 90% of the planned production capacity of WAH2 Phase 1. There are currently 29 ammonia capable duel-fueled bulk carriers on order for delivery prior to 2030.
The WAH2 Project is NH3’s flagship project to supply low-emissions ammonia to the decarbonising powerhouse economies of the Asia Pacific, including Japan and South Korea as well as being a source of decarbonised bunker fuel for powering bulk carriers carrying iron ore from Australia to Asia.
The JDA establishes the framework for how the parties intend to work together with the aim of establishing an ammonia bunkering service from Dampier Bulk Liquids Berth to anchorage by 2030.
The signatories recognise that an integrated and coordinated approach will be required with:
- Pilbara Ports responsible for the control and management of the Port of Dampier, for issuing bunkering licences and for safe operations within port waters;
- NH3 as the supplier of low-emissions ammonia from its WAH2 Project; and
- Oceania as the bunker vessel owner and/or operator. Oceania is an Australian privately owned company intending to establish a bunkering business at the Port of Dampier that would use bunker vessels to supply low-emissions ammonia via ship-to-ship transfer.
The JDA outlines an integrated scope of work and timetable intended to confirm the technical feasibility of bunkering operations, and thereafter secure primary environmental and regulatory approvals and have the formal agreements in place to support final investment decisions for the WAH2 Project, bunker vessel and any port infrastructure by the end of 2026.
This JDA builds on NH3’s previous MoUs and ongoing collaboration with Pilbara Ports and Oceania. The three parties said it is seen as an important step towards future agreements with bunkering customers.
Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Graeme Waller
Published: 11 June, 2025
