Energy company Mabanaft GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, and shipping company Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hamburg, on Jan. 25 announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate options for the safe handling of clean ammonia as bunker fuel to Hapag-Lloyd, first at the Port of Hamburg, Germany, and next at the Port of Houston, Texas.
Together, Mabanaft and Hapag-Lloyd will assess the viability of and the options for the safe handling of clean ammonia as a bunker fuel in and around the Port of Hamburg. The companies will evaluate the commercial, technical, and regulatory requirements and engage with all relevant stakeholders as part of this initiative. In a second step, a similar assessment will be done for the Port of Houston.
Mabanaft is in the process of developing infrastructure in Hamburg for the import and supply of clean ammonia for a lead customer, along with a larger infrastructure investment program, to create a platform for low carbon fuel alternatives. In November last year, Mabanaft announced the intention to build Germany’s first large-scale, green energy import terminal in Hamburg, together with project partner Air Products (GM Nov. 23, 2022). Targeted to provide hydrogen to Germany in 2026, the planned import terminal is to be located at Mabanaft’s existing Blumensand terminal in the port.
Mabanaft is a shareholder in Gulf Coast Ammonia LLC (GCA) (GM Jan. 10, 2020), a world-scale ammonia production facility in Texas City, Texas, scheduled for commissioning by mid-2023.