Safe ammonia bunkering is both economically and operationally viable within the Pilbara region of Western Australia, according to a new study by Lloyds Register. The study was commissioned by Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA) and Pilbara Ports.
The study indicated that ship-to-ship bunkering operations could be performed within acceptable risk levels at anchorages in Dampier and Port Hedland. Moreover, the study confirmed that existing ammonia production and export infrastructure within the Pilbara, such as Yara’s Karratha plant and Pilbara Ports’ Bulk Liquids Berth at Dampier, could be leveraged to initiate bunkering operations in the near-term.
The results also show the demand for ammonia as a fuel to decarbonize the international iron ore trade, reaching a volume potential of 1 million to 1.5 million mt in 2035.
“The study has shown that a key enabler for meeting this demand is Yara’s existing assets including the world-scale Yara Pilbara Fertilizers ammonia plant near Karratha,” said YCA Senior Vice President Commercial Murali Srinivasan. “Furthermore, the current development of Yuri renewable hydrogen project on the Yara Pilbara site will be the first in Australia to inject green molecules into an existing ammonia plant, and Yara is vigorously exploring options to ramp up volumes of clean and low carbon ammonia to lay the foundation for a reliable supply chain to serve the emerging shipping fuel market.”
He added that the level of demand for bunkering reflected the push by iron ore miners and the steel industry to decarbonize.
“The Pilbara contains the world’s largest bulk export ports,” said Pilbara Ports CEO Samuel McSkimming. “Last year we achieved 752.4 million mt of trade with more than 6,829 vessel visits. This scale of operations cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and it makes the Pilbara’s ports the natural beachhead from which the global bulk carrier fleet will decarbonize.”
“Ammonia is already widely produced, used, and shipped in industrial quantities around the world,” McSkimming added. “To be able to expand its application as a green shipping fuel would greatly reduce shipping emissions.”