Ammonia-powered ships could sail on green corridor by 2028 – GMF

Ships powered by clean ammonia could sail between West Australia and East Asia by 2028, helping establish a green corridor on the iron ore trade route, according to a new study by the Global Maritime Forum (GMF) and its partners.

PHOTO: Dry bulk vessels in the western Australian port of Pilbara. GMF

Green corridors are conceptualised trade routes on which shipping companies are encouraged and incentivised to use zero-emission fuels and other means of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The new study found that core elements to set up a West Australia-East Asia green corridor are within reach if ammonia is validated and accepted as a safe shipping fuel.

Iron ore shipping routes from West Australia to ports in China and Japan have been previously been identified as first-mover routes for shipping decarbonisation in a pre-feasibility study.

The new study, based on analysis by the Energy Transitions Commission, notes that if the corridor develops as planned, more than 20 clean ammonia vessels could operate on the route by 2030. By 2050, the corridor could see roughly 360 such vessels.

The West Australia–East Asia Iron Ore Green Corridor Consortium commissioned this study. The group includes GMF alongside mining companies BHP, Rio Tinto and shipping companies Oldendorff Carriers and Star Bulk Carriers.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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