Global mining, metals and energy company Fortescue says green ammonia was successfully transferred to an ammonia-powered dry bulk carrier at Port Hedland, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, marking a major step towards lower-emission shipping.

This trial proceeded after all safety and operational requirements were confirmed as satisfactory and completed in two hours on November 2.

This operation brought together bulk export port authority Pilbara Ports, Fortescue and diversified maritime group CMB.TECH, with regulators and operational teams to carry out the transfer in a live port environment.

The company reports that the Mineral Europa, the world’s first ammonia-powered dry bulk vessel, received the certified green ammonia from a bunker vessel before entering Port Hedland to be loaded with iron-ore to be transported to China.

Bulk export port authority Pilbara Ports CEO Samuel McSkimming notes that this trial has demonstrated a practical pathway for safely refuelling ammonia-powered vessels in a live port environment, thereby providing shipping with a practical path to use green fuels.

“The Pilbara has the scale, location and capability to play a leading role in the future of clean fuel bunkering and the insights gained from this trial will help guide the next phase of development and further position Western Australia and the Pilbara at the forefront of maritime decarbonisation,” he says.

Fortescue highlights that this operation builds on the “world-first” ship-to-ship ammonia transfer completed at the Port of Dampier in 2024 and strengthens the Pilbara Ports Clean Fuel Bunkering Hub vision, which is exploring the establishment of Australia’s first clean fuel bunkering hub in the Pilbara region.

“Green ammonia can be bunkered safely, at scale, at one of the world’s great bulk export ports, addressing a concern that has held the industry back for years, and industry has moved ahead of regulation to prove the technology.

“What’s needed now is policy certainty and long-term offtake to unlock demand, derisk investment and move green ammonia projects forward, building the full supply chain from renewables all the way to the ship’s tank,” says Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto.

Fortescue highlights that it has helped push green ammonia shipping from ambition towards reality, using its Green Pioneer vessel to demonstrate the technology and build momentum for lower-emissions maritime fuels.

The Green Pioneer vessel is currently in Antigua in the Caribbean, where it will continue building momentum during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting from November 1 to 4.

In addition to Mineral Europa, Fortescue also charters another nine CMB.TECH vessels which can be converted to run on ammonia in the future.

Produced using renewable energy, green ammonia contains no carbon and enables low-emission shipping by generating zero CO₂ emissions when used as a marine fuel, compared with conventional fuels.

“We are proving that decarbonising shipping is no longer a distant ambition. It is happening today. Mineral Europa is the first vessel of its kind, but many more will follow in the months and years ahead,” says CMB.TECH CEO Alexander Saverys.

Insights from the Port Hedland trial will now be reviewed to inform future ammonia bunkering operations and support the next phase of the Pilbara Clean Fuel Bunkering Hub initiative.