July 14, 2025
ITOCHU Corporation has signed agreements for the construction of a 5,000 m³ ammonia bunkering vessel and an onboard ammonia tank plant with Sasaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Izumi Steel Works Ltd., respectively.
As explained, ITOCHU plans to develop a safe offshore ammonia bunkering method through ship-to-ship transfer using this vessel. This demonstration is a key step in promoting a broader project. Using the vessel, ITOCHU aims to link early producers of clean ammonia with early users of ammonia-fueled ships, helping to build initial demand and move toward commercializing ammonia bunkering in Singapore.
According to ITOCHU, The same model could then be expanded to other key shipping locations, such as the Strait of Gibraltar (Spain), the Suez Canal (Egypt), and Japan.
Meanwhile, MPA has launched several initiatives to promote ammonia bunkering. One significant milestone was MPA’s support for Fortescue in the world’s first use of ammonia combined with diesel as marine fuel, demonstrated on the Singapore-flagged ammonia-powered vessel Fortescue Green Pioneer.
Lastly, ITOCHU hopes that the knowledge gained from building and testing the vessel will help strengthen Japan’s shipbuilding sector, especially in the growing fields of ammonia bunkering ships and ammonia tank plant production.
To remind, last year, ITOCHU Corporation and U-Ming Marine Transport signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore joint ownership and operation of ammonia-fuelled ships.
The vessel is expected to be delivered in September 2027. These agreements were made through Clean Ammonia Bunkering Shipping Pte. Ltd. (CABS), a Singapore-based subsidiary of ITOCHU, and partially financed by The Hiroshima Bank, Ltd.
