Worlds First Green Ammonia STS Bunkering Completed in Zhoushan | Full Green Ammonia Value Chain Connected, Ammonia Shipping Commercialization Accelerates

On October 13, the world's first ship-to-ship (STS) green ammonia bunkering operation was successfully completed at the Zhoushan anchorage, Zhejiang. The operation was jointly carried out by China Energy Engineering Hydrogen Energy Co., Ltd., Belgian maritime group CMB.TECH, and Jiangsu Andefu Energy Technology Co., Ltd. 100 tons of green ammonia was transferred from "Shenghang Yongle" — the world's first dedicated ammonia bunker vessel — to an ammonia-powered vessel owned by CMB.TECH. Following bunkering, the ammonia-powered vessel departed Zhoushan to enter commercial service.

This operation marks the first end-to-end connection of the "production – storage & transport – bunkering – application" value chain for green ammonia as a marine fuel, providing a replicable "China Solution" for the green fuel industry to move from technology demonstration to large-scale commercial operation. It is another key milestone in ammonia commercialization, following the world's first STS ammonia bunkering by NYK of Japan in September.

1. Operation Overview: China Delivers World's First Green Ammonia STS Bunkering

The bunkering operation was conducted at the Zhoushan offshore anchorage using the ship-to-ship (STS) alongside method. The bunkering vessel "Shenghang Yongle" is the world's first commercially operated dedicated ammonia bunker vessel, capable of both ammonia transport and STS bunkering, which entered service in Nanjing in mid-September. The receiving vessel is an ammonia-powered medium gas carrier owned by CMB.TECH of Belgium.

The green ammonia used in the bunkering comes from China Energy Engineering's "Qing Hydrogen No.1" Songyuan Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park. It is produced via water electrolysis using renewable energy, followed by Haber-Bosch synthesis, with far lower lifecycle carbon emissions than conventional fossil-based grey ammonia — a true zero-carbon marine fuel.

The entire bunkering process verified the safety and operability of green ammonia shipping, ship-to-ship transfer and fuel reception. Key indicators including bunkering rate, leak control and safety protection met expected targets, accumulating first-hand operational data for future large-scale green ammonia bunkering.

2. From Demonstration to Commercial: Three Ammonia Bunkering Pathways Taking Shape

The completion of the world's first green ammonia STS bunkering means ammonia bunkering is no longer a single technical validation, but is beginning to form replicable commercial pathways. Currently, global ammonia bunkering is advancing along three parallel routes:

Terminal bunkering: Retrofitting existing port ammonia terminals or building dedicated ammonia bunkering berths, suitable for fixed routes and hub ports with high traffic. Major Chinese ports including Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan are planning ammonia bunkering infrastructure.

STS bunker vessel bunkering: Dedicated bunker vessels sail to anchorages or offshore locations to refuel vessels, independent of fixed port infrastructure, offering high flexibility and suitable for dispersed routes and ports with underdeveloped facilities. The "Shenghang Yongle" and this Zhoushan green ammonia bunkering fall into this category.

Multi-fuel bunker vessels: Carrying multiple green fuels including LNG, ammonia and methanol simultaneously, one vessel serving multiple fuel demands. Hanwha Power's LNG-ammonia dual-fuel bunker vessel has received ABS Approval in Principle, representing the multi-cargo direction of bunker vessel development.

The three pathways complement each other to form an ammonia bunkering infrastructure network, providing fuel security for the large-scale commercial operation of ammonia-fueled vessels.

3. China's Role: From Follower to Leader, Full Supply Chain Breakthrough

In the ammonia fuel sector, China is gradually evolving from an early follower to a full supply chain leader:

• Upstream green ammonia production: China leads globally in green ammonia capacity planning, with multiple large-scale projects under construction in Inner Mongolia, Jilin and Guangdong, providing sufficient supply for marine green ammonia
• Midstream transport & bunkering: World's first dedicated ammonia bunker vessel "Shenghang Yongle" in service, world's first green ammonia STS bunkering completed, breakthroughs in transport and bunkering
• Downstream shipbuilding: China's first ammonia dual-fuel gas carrier named and delivered, 93,000 cbm VLACs in batch delivery, leading in ammonia-fueled ship construction
• Propulsion systems: Domestic WinGD ammonia dual-fuel low-speed engines in real-ship application, breaking foreign technology monopolies

From green ammonia production, ammonia transport, STS bunkering to ammonia-powered vessels, China has formed a complete ammonia fuel supply chain, and the "China Solution" is becoming an important driving force for global ammonia commercialization.

4. Challenges and Outlook

Although the full green ammonia value chain has been connected for the first time, large-scale commercialization of ammonia fuel still faces challenges. Ammonia's toxicity, corrosiveness and flammability impose high requirements on bunkering operational standards, crew safety training and port safety regulations. Global green ammonia production capacity is still in the ramp-up phase, and fuel costs remain higher than conventional marine fuels. Standard systems for ammonia-fueled vessels and bunkering facilities are still under development.

Yet the trend is clear: with the improvement of bunkering infrastructure, the release of green ammonia capacity and the growth of ammonia-fueled ship orders, ammonia fuel will move from demonstration to large-scale commercial application in the next 2-3 years, gradually penetrating deep-sea trunk routes, coastal shipping and offshore platforms.

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