Maritime Executive: Chinese Shipyard Launches First Two Large Ammonia-Fueled Bulkers

Construction is proceeding on the first large ammonia-fueled bulkers, which were ordered by CMB.TECH for Bocimar, its operator of dry bulk carriers. The ships are being built in China, and when delivered, will be pioneers for ocean-going, ammonia-fueled shipping.

Beihai Shipyard, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, reports it recently floated out the first two Newcastlemax dry bulk carriers. The ships are 300 meters (984 feet) in length and, when completed, will be 210,000 dwt. CMB.TECH currently has a total of 10 Newcastlemax vessels on order that will be fitted with ammonia-fueled propulsion and an additional eight vessels that will be ready for a future conversion to ammonia.

CMB.TECH announced the project in 2023 as an effort to lead shipping into ammonia as an alternative fuel. It partnered with WinGD to develop the X72DF engine, a two-stroke engine capable of operating on ammonia as its fuel. Later, the companies announced they were making progress on the 72-bore ammonia engine, and this year, WinGD highlighted good progress on the engines. Its first ammonia engine, a 52-bore, was installed in August 2025 in a gas carrier newbuild at HD Hyundai in South Korea.

Benhai reports that before floating out the two vessels from the dry dock, it completed the installation of four engines and one auxiliary boiler for each ship. They expect to proceed with the testing simultaneously on the two vessels to shorten the construction period.

CMB.TECH has reported that it has entered into an agreement with Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) for the joint ownership of three of the ammonia-fueled bulkers. These vessels are due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027, with MOL taking them on 12-year charters. Separately, CMB.TECH has also announced a charter with Fortescue for another one of the ammonia-powered ore carriers. Fortescue will get its ship by the end of 2026, and the plan calls for it to operate transporting ore from Australia’s Pilbara to customers in China and around the world.

CSSC reported that Beihai has overcome difficulties in its operations and is accelerating various construction projects. After the floatout from the dry dock of the two vessels for CMB.TECH, Beihai reports the bottom blocks were set for two more of the Newcastle carriers ordered by the Belgian company. The two that started construction are part of the ammonia-ready portion of the order. Work has also started on another one of the large ore carriers for CMB.TECH.

DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insights database lists only three ammonia-fueled ships in operation in the world, including the OSV converted by Fortescue and a tug converted by NYK. They project both the Exmar gas carrier being built in South Korea and the first of the CMB.TECH bulkers will be delivered this year, with ammonia-fueled deliveries accelerating in the coming years. It lists 22 ammonia-fueled ships for delivery in 2026 and a total of 39 on order for delivery by 2029.