First movers steal a march on future fuels competition

For larger vessels, like the ammonia carriers the company has on order, the WinGD engines are ammonia-ready and expected to operate on ammonia in 2025/2026.

In addition, the company has 22 dry bulk carriers on order that will also be ammonia-ready. The decarbonisation drive extends to the port infrastructure, which will also be hydrogen-based. Initially, the port equipment and trucks will operate on dual-fuel, but mono hydrogen operation is the next phase. However, the company is reliant of legislators’ approval, which is slowing the process.

Nonetheless, CMB.TECH is building a hydrogen and ammonia refuelling station for land-side and port vessels in Antwerp. This will include an offshore re-supply station.

In a move far in advance of most other shipping companies, the CMB group is developing an ammonia production plant in Namibia. This will ensure security of supply of ammonia for its ammonia-ready dry bulk carriers and the ammonia-powered ammonia carriers on order. Namibia was chosen for the ample space and sunshine needed to create solar power and wind power to build a 5 MW pilot plant. It is also on a regular route established by the CMB dry bulk carrier fleet to China.

“The ground-breaking was a little delayed by the discovery of leftover munitions, but everything is back on track,” said Mr Turner. The aim is to scale up the plant to produce up to 850 tonnes of ammonia per day.

Mr Turner added: “We do not want to be a fuel supplier, we prefer to be shipowners. But if you are not going to build the fuel facilities, we will do it ourselves.”

Another company that has managed to achieve security of fuel supply is AP Møller – Maersk. Group representative EU, IMO, and government relations, Simon Christopher Bergulf, said that although the company is one of the largest in Denmark, it only became aware of the impact of its Scope 3 emissions obligations a few years ago.

“There is a need for top leadership and top understanding at the very highest level”

It now regularly produces sustainability reports and these reveal the considerable carbon footprint of the company. “If you want to make something happen inside a company as large as Maersk, with over 110,000 employees, there is a need for some top leadership and top understanding at the very highest level,” he said. In the case of its decarbonisation strategy project, the CEO and two executive board members were part of the project team.

That started in 2018 and culminated in the delivery of Maersk’s first methanol-powered vessel, Laura Maersk, in 2023. The vessel took on methanol in South Korea, but will burn e-methanol from a chain of facilities being set-up with partners around the world, including a 10,000 tonnes of power-to-methanol production facility, using power from a solar farm in Kassø, Southern Denmark. Renewable energy and biogenic CO2 will be used to produce the e-methanol.

This is another example of how major shipping companies have identified security vulnerabilities in the availability of e-fuels and moved rapidly to secure their own energy supplies.