World’s First Commercial Ship-to-Ship Green Ammonia Bunkering Completed in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China

ZHOUSHAN, China, October 18, 2026--On October 13, 2026, the world's first commercial ship-to-ship bunkering of green ammonia fuel was completed at an anchorage in Zhoushan Port, Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 1,000 tonnes of green ammonia from the HyFlow-1 Songyuan Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park project, of China Energy Engineering Group (Energy China), was loaded through the dedicated liquid ammonia bunkering vessel Shenghang Yongle onto Mineral Europa, an ammonia-powered ship owned by Belgium's CMB.TECH. After bunkering, the latter will leave Zhoushan and cross the Pacific to Australia for commercial service.

The operation was carried out jointly by Energy China Hydrogen Energy Co., Ltd., Belgium's CMB.TECH and Jiangsu Andefu Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Green ammonia has now been commercially deployed across the entire deep-sea shipping value chain for the first time. The process spans production, storage, transport, bunkering and onboard use. This milestone offers a real-world model for scaling up the use of green marine fuels.

From Green Energy Production to Ocean-Going Shipping

All the green ammonia used came from Energy China's integrated green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol project in Songyuan, Jilin Province. Phase I of the project entered formal operation in December 2025. It converts wind and solar power into green marine fuel through renewable power generation, water electrolysis for hydrogen, and green ammonia synthesis. The project has obtained ISCC EU RFNBO certification and has secured a sales contract for green ammonia for ocean-going shipping.

This batch of green ammonia left Songyuan by road to the tank farm at Nanjing Port. It was then carried by Shenghang Yongle to Zhoushan Port before being bunkered ship-to-ship at sea.

China has thus, for the first time, established a complete green ammonia supply chain, spanning production, road transport, port storage, waterway transport and offshore bunkering, with carbon emissions tracked throughout.

To date, 7,000 tonnes of green ammonia produced by the Songyuan project have reached the Nanjing Port tank farm and will be bunkered in batches as planned. This supply chain model has given China practical experience in bringing green ammonia into the international shipping market and exploring a cross-regional green energy logistics system.

Dedicated Bunkering Facilities Underpin Commercialization

Green ammonia is considered a potential alternative fuel for decarbonizing ocean shipping because it produces no direct carbon dioxide emissions during combustion and can be made using renewable energy. However, ammonia's toxicity places stringent demands on safety management, specialized equipment and operating procedures for storage, transport and ship bunkering.