Seatrade-Maritime: World’s first ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering completed in Japan

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

A Japanese consortium led by NYK Line has completed the first ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering to an ammonia-fueled vessel, advancing efforts to establish the fuel as a viable zero-carbon alternative for shipping.

The operation on September 17 saw ammonia transferred from the 998gt carrier Shoei Maru to a newbuild ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier at Japan Marine United’s Ariake Shipyard. The receiving vessel is undergoing final preparations for sea trials ahead of its November 2026 delivery.

Partners in the project include Japan Marine United, Nihon Shipyard, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Kokuka Sangyo, working under Japan’s Green Innovation Fund administered by NEDO.

While ammonia emits no CO₂ during combustion, its toxicity has complicated efforts to develop safe handling procedures. The consortium spent months developing protocols before attempting the transfer.

The successful bunkering provides practical data on fuel supply operations that will be critical as the industry moves toward commercial deployment of ammonia-fueled tonnage.

The AFMGC is being developed under NEDO’s JPY2 trillion Green Innovation Fund, which supports projects aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Shoei Maru normally carries ammonia for Mitsubishi Gas Chemical’s Niigata Plant. The vessel measures 71.5 metres in length with a beam of 12.5 metres.