Seatrade Maritime: CMB.Tech invests in Chinese green ammonia

CMB.Tech announced it will buy green ammonia from the China Energy Engineering Group (CEEC) Songyuan project, a producer in Jilin province, China, which is set to begin operations in January 2026.

The $870m, 800 MW facility will produce around 158,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually in its first phase, powered by off-grid renewables supported by battery and hydrogen buffer storage. Phase two will see the project investment rise to $1.6bn, with 1600 MW of renewable energy producing 55,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year and 310,000 tonnes of ammonia.

The alternative fuel supply has been secured as CMB.Tech prepares for delivery of 11 dual-fuel ammonia-powered ships in 2026, including ten 210,000 dwt newcastlemax bulk carriers from Qingdao Beihai Shipyard and a single 1,400 teu container ship from China Merchants Industry Weihai.

Bureau Veritas carried out the certification audit for the project’s green credentials; its green ammonia output attained ISCC EU Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) certification on 2 December 2025.

The Belgian shipowner also said it will acquire a minority stake in Jiangsu Andefu (Andefu), a Chinese ammonia supply chain and terminal company which has been in the sector since 2006, and was the first exporter of Chinese liquid ammonia in 2011. CMB.Tech said the acquisition will create an industrial partnership supporting maritime decarbonisation.

Andefu owns a 5,500 cu m semi-refrigerated LPG/ammonia carrier and plans to commercially deploy ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering operations in 2026.

Among Andefu’s projects, subsidiary Jiangsu Andefu Storage, is building a 49,000 cu m low-temperature ammonia storage tank in Nanjing scheduled for commissioning in the first quarter of 2026. The port has a further two pressurised 3,000 cu m tanks.

Jiangsi and CEEC are partnered on the development of an ammonia storage terminal at Panjin; CEEC said the loading berth for ammonia at Panjin will have capacity for a 50,000 dwt vessel, and will be ready in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Green ammonia from CEEC Songyuan will initially be transported to Panjin Port by truck, employing around 40 ammonia trucks each carrying 25 tonnes of ammonia on the two-day round trip to the port. A proposal has been made to transport the ammonia by rail, which would use 100 tank cars carrying 50 tonnes each.

Panjin is expected to further grow in importance within China’s ammonia supply chain, with phase two plans in place for two 80,000 cu m low-temperature tanks, four 3,000 cu m spherical tanks and three 7,000 cu m ambient tanks.

At the end of 2027, CEEC’s Chifeng project is expected to commence operations, producing around 123,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually; export volumes from Chifeng will also be exported via Panjin.

Ammonia has zero carbon emissions when burned and can have very low well-to-wake emissions through the use of renewable energy in its production. CMB.Tech said it believes the fuel will become more cost-competitive as renewable energy prices fall.

Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.Tech: “Today marks a big milestone in our decarbonisation journey. With an investment in the Chinese ammonia supply chain, CMB.Tech will be able to provide green ammonia to its ships. It’s another important step towards the launch of our first ammonia-powered ships and zero-emission maritime transportation. 2026 will be a very important year for our company and our industry, as we hope to prove to the world that we can decarbonise today to navigate tomorrow!”