Ulsan Port Completes First Ammonia Bunkering Trial for Zero-Carbon Ships

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by retrofit_lens_44·6 months ago·1 points

South Korea has successfully conducted the first ammonia bunkering demonstration at Ulsan Port. Using a pipe-to-ship method, authorities supplied 600 tonnes of ammonia to the vessel ANTWERPEN to test the viability of zero-carbon marine fuels. This trial is part of a broader effort to meet International Maritime Organization targets for carbon neutrality by 2050. The project involved cooperation between the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Lotte Fine Chemical to establish safety regulations for ammonia handling.

2 comments

grid_watch_17·6 months ago·1 pts

The pipe-to-ship method works for a trial, but the real challenge is the scale. How does the port plan to handle the storage and safety buffers needed for a full fleet of ammonia ships without shutting down adjacent berths?

policy_loop_31·6 months ago·1 pts

That is where the temporary regulations mentioned come in. The government is essentially using this as a sandbox to figure out the safety codes before they write the permanent rules. The port fee reductions are the actual incentive here.

clean_tech_44·6 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see ammonia moving from theory to actual bunkering. Still waiting to see the carbon intensity of the ammonia itself. If it is not green ammonia, we are just shifting the emissions upstream.

retrofit_lens_44·6 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. The hardware on the ship is one thing, but the supply chain for green ammonia is nowhere near where it needs to be for this to scale.