UAE-based marine fuel and petroleum products trader Oilmar DMCC on Friday (18 April) announced the successful completion of its first ULSFO 0.1% Sulphur delivery in Istanbul, marking one of the very first trades of its kind in the country.

“With this milestone, Oilmar proudly steps forward as one of Türkiye’s pioneering trading companies in ULSFO 0.1% Sulphur fuel,” it said in a social media post. 

Oilmar is now offering ULSFO 0.1% across key locations:

• Istanbul Anchorage
• Marmara Sea
• Gulf of Derince
• Bozcaada Anchorage
• Southern Türkiye Ports

In addition, High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO), Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), Ultra-Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (ULSFO), and Low Sulphur Marine Gasoil (LSMGO) are available at all ports across Türkiye.

Photo credit: Dima Rogachevskiy on Unsplash
Published: 21 April, 2025

AD Ports Group on Wednesday (16 April) said it hosted its first ship-to-ship (STS) liquified natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation recently at its flagship deep-water Khalifa Port.

The STS bunkering was part of a simultaneous operation, in which the container vessel MSC Thais berthed at Abu Dhabi Terminals, received LNG marine fuel from the dedicated LNG bunker vessel Green Zeebrugge, supplied by marine fuels provider Monjasa. 

Captain Saif Al Mheiri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Maritime and Chief Sustainability Officer at AD Ports Group, said: “By adhering to the highest safety and environmental standards, AD Ports Group and Monjasa are ensuring that shipowners have reliable access to a diversified fuel mix that supports their decarbonisation objectives.”

“AD Ports Group will continue to explore and implement forward-looking solutions that drive progress toward global sustainability goals.”

Liquified natural gas offers reduced greenhouse gas emissions and significantly less sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter emissions compared to traditional marine fuels.

AD Ports Group and Monjasa will continue expanding LNG bunkering services across the Group’s commercial ports in Abu Dhabi, including cruise vessels at Zayed Port, while offering a comprehensive fuel portfolio that includes Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), Marine Gas Oil (MGO), and High-Sulfur Fuel Oil (HSFO).

The STS operation was executed in accordance with international best practices and regulatory standards, that include LNG bunkering protocols and guidelines set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO).

With this achievement, AD Ports Group is accelerating the shift toward sustainable marine fuels, while reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s leadership in the global energy transition and advancing the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy.

Photo credit: AD Ports Group
Published: 17 April, 2025

The Port of Rotterdam on Monday (14 April) said Trammo, OCI and James Fisher Fendercare successfully conducted an ammonia bunkering pilot between two vessels, Oceanic Moon and Gas Utopia, at a terminal in the port on 12 April.

The pilot involved transferring 800 cubic meters of liquid, cold ammonia at -33 degrees Celsius between two ships. The pilot used grey ammonia, which shares the same chemical properties as clean ammonia.

This took about 2.5 hours and was conducted alongside a new quay at the Maasvlakte 2 APM terminal. 

“The demonstration validated the port of Rotterdam safety framework for ammonia bunkering, establishing that it is possible to do this safely and without ammonia release in the port,” it said on its website. 

The pilot marked an important step in preparing the port for vessels bunkering clean ammonia. 

Ammonia is a carbon-free fuel, so no CO2 is released during combustion. The first ships capable of using ammonia as a bunker fuel are expected in 2026 or 2027.

Various parties collaborated on the pilot, facilitated by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. OCI, owner and operator of the port’s ammonia terminal, partnered with Trammo, which supplied the two tankers carrying OCI’s ammonia. 

James Fisher Fendercare provided equipment and expertise to ensure the safe execution of the ship-to-ship transfer at the berth location provided by APM Terminal. 

Bunker barge operator Victrol shared its bunkering expertise during the preparation of the pilot. The DCMR Environmental Protection Agency, Rijnmond Safety Region (VRR), and the Joint Fire Service (GB) were involved to ensure the pilot was conducted safely and smoothly.

Rotterdam is the world’s second largest bunker port, with approximately ten million tonnes of fuel bunkered annually. 

Together with all parties in the port, the Port of Rotterdam Authority aims to enable the bunkering of all alternative low-carbon fuels in the future, promoting greater sustainability for international shipping. 

Looking ahead, Port of Rotterdam said clean ammonia (low carbon) is expected to play a key role in the large-scale decarbonisation of shipping. Introduction and upscaling of ammonia as a shipping fuel is also possible because the industry already produces, stores, transports and distributes ammonia to end users worldwide.

The port of Rotterdam uses the international Port Readiness Level assessment tool to prepare for all new marine fuels. 

To properly prepare the port to receive and bunker ships using new fuels, various steps will be taken to ensure that all regulatory, safety, infrastructural and supply factors are in order. 

The port has already fully implemented this method for LNG and, to a large degree, for methanol. 

For ammonia, the pilot concludes level 6 and raises the port’s readiness to level 7, with all safety procedures ready to allow bunkering on a project basis. With this enhanced readiness, the port of Rotterdam is ensuring that it is prepared for bunkering of the first ammonia-fuelled ships. 

The learnings of the pilot and the established procedures will be disseminated to the EU, other ports and relevant parties.

Photo credit: Port of Rotterdam
Published: 15 April, 2025