Trafigura Completes Historic First Ship-To-Ship Transfer Of Ammonia

Ship-to-ship ammonia transfer — Image Credits: Trafigura/X (Twitter)

Trafigura Group has successfully completed its first ship-to-ship (STS) ammonia transfer.

The operation occurred last week in international waters near the port of Ceuta in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Green Power Medium Gas Carrier (MGC) and the Small Gas Carrier, Gas Aegean, safely transferred around 6,000 metric tons of ammonia from CF Industries’ manufacturing site in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

The Green Power MGC is owned by Purus and chartered by Trafigura.

The ammonia will be delivered to Grupo Fertiberia in Spain for fertilizer manufacture.

International Fender Provider (IFP) carried out the ship-to-ship operation in compliance with the current requirements.

Trifigura’s Head of Wet Freight, Andrea Olivi, stated that the first efficient and safe STS ammonia transfer contributes to increasing ammonia trade activity.

He added that the STS transfer demonstrates the feasibility of ammonia bunkering as demand for hydrogen-based low-carbon fuel grows, enabling the shipping sector to decarbonize.

Trafigura signed a deal in May 2024 for four new MGCs capable of propulsion with low-carbon ammonia.

The first ship is scheduled for delivery in 2027 from HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea.

Watch us take the next step in making low-carbon ammonia a future marine fuel to decarbonise shipping.

Last week Trafigura, shipowner Purus and ship-to-ship operation specialist International Fender Providers successfully completed the first ammonia ship-to-ship transfer in… pic.twitter.com/sBGWS9ZnhE

— Trafigura (@trafigura) July 1, 2024

Video Credits: Trafigura/X (Twitter)

The initiative demonstrates Trafigura’s commitment to sustainable shipping practices and the clean energy transition.

Purus, the shipowner, expressed pride in collaborating with Trafigura on this historic operation.

According to a Purus representative, the STS transfer demonstrates their capability to provide customers with end-to-end floating pipeline solutions for energy transition cargoes that offer greater flexibility and speed to market than conventional onshore storage tanks, speeding up the clean energy transition.

Trafigura is one of the world’s largest vessel charterers, managing over 400 ships and over 5000 voyages annually.

The company aims to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of its shipping fleet by 25% by the end of fiscal year 2030, against the 2019 International Maritime Organization benchmark.

Trafigura has supported a global carbon levy on marine fuels to expedite the transition to low-carbon alternatives.

The company tested several alternative fuels on its fleet, including Biofuels, LNG, LPG, and Methanol.

Trafigura co-sponsored the development of a two-stroke engine that runs on low-carbon ammonia, and it is also investing in onboard emissions capture technology.

Additional investments are being made in efficiency measures such as silicone hull coating, wake equalizing ducts, ultrasonic propeller antifouling technology, and continuous underwater hull cleaning and propeller polishing.

Trafigura, a founding member of the Sea Cargo Charter, the Global Maritime Forum’s Getting to Zero coalition, and the First Movers Coalition, continues to lead initiatives to decarbonize the shipping industry.

Reference: Trafigura

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