Trafigura Group has completed its first ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of ammonia. This took place in international waters close to the port of Ceuta in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Ship-to-ship ammonia transfer
Approximately 6,000 metric tons of ammonia (NH3), supplied by CF Industries from their manufacturing complex in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, was safely transferred between the Green Power Medium Gas Carrier (MGC), owned by shipowner/operator Purus on time charter to Trafigura, and Small Gas Carrier the Gas Aegean. The shipment will be received by Fertiberia for the production of fertilizer.
The STS operation was conducted by the International Fender Provider (IFP) in line with current regulations, with Next Maritime acting as an agent. STS transfers are commonly used for other commodities to load cargo onto more suitable vessels for delivery to the destination, however until recently they have not been widely adopted by the ammonia industry.
“Our first safe and efficient ship-to-ship transfer of ammonia supports our growing ammonia trading activity. Importantly, it demonstrates the feasibility of ammonia bunkering in the future as demand grows for the hydrogen-based low-carbon fuels that will enable the shipping industry to decarbonize,” said Andrea Olivi, head of wet freight for Trafigura.
In May 2024, Trafigura signed a contract for four MGCs that will be capable of using low-carbon ammonia as a propulsion fuel when delivered. The vessels will be built at HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea, with the first ship to be delivered in 2027.
“We are proud to partner with Trafigura on this historic STS with Green Power, one of our seven modern MGCs for ammonia transport. This STS transfer demonstrates our capability to offer customers end-to-end floating pipeline solutions for energy transition cargoes that can offer greater flexibility and speed-to-market than conventional onshore storage tanks, accelerating the clean energy transition,” said a spokesperson from Purus.
Decarbonizing shipping
Trafigura’s shipping team has tested a full range of alternative shipping fuels including LNG, methanol, LPG and biofuels on its owned and chartered vessels. It has co-sponsored the development of a two-stroke engine by MAN Energy Solutions that can run on low-carbon ammonia and is also investing in onboard emissions capture technology.
Investments are also being made in wider efficiency measures such as silicone hull coating, wake equalizing ducts, ultrasonic propeller antifouling technology, and continuous underwater hull cleaning and propeller polishing.
In related news, Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) recently signed a joint development project (JDP) for the design of what will be the world’s largest very-large ammonia carrier (VLAC) with a carrying capacity of 100,000m3. Click here to read the full story.
