Fortescue charters 12 ammonia-capable bulk carriers to cut shipping emissions

Fortescue on June 22 agreed to charter up to 12 ammonia-capable 210,000-dwt Newcastlemax bulk carriers from Bocimar.

The deal, announced by CMB.TECH in Antwerp, scales up an April 2025 charter for one ammonia-powered Newcastlemax into a fleet-level push. Up to three of the ships will be delivered with dual-fuel ammonia engines and are expected to enter service by the end of 2026. The remaining nine vessels will be ammonia-ready and can be converted later, giving Fortescue a route to keep tonnage flexible while marine fuel rules and supply chains evolve.

CMB.TECH said the fleet could cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 250,000 tonnes a year if it is fuelled by green ammonia, compared with conventional marine fuels. Fortescue framed the agreement as part of its zero-emissions shipping strategy, and director integrated operations Katie Charuga said the industry needs “action, not more talk.” That language puts the charter well beyond a procurement exercise and into the company’s wider effort to build commercial demand for ammonia as a marine fuel.

Fortescue has already used its Green Pioneer vessel to test that pathway. In March 2024, the vessel completed the world’s first ammonia fuel load and dual-fuel trial in Singapore, and it received approval from the Singapore Registry of Ships and DNV’s “Gas Fuelled Ammonia” notation. Fortescue says the vessel has sailed internationally, bunkered ammonia and trained crews, making it a practical reference point for the new charter rather than a paper concept.

The timing matters for bulk shipping operators looking at hard-to-abate iron ore routes later this decade. Ammonia-capable hulls preserve a path to zero-emissions propulsion if fuel availability catches up, while also keeping room for other low-carbon choices such as biofuel drop-ins or methanol where those fuel systems, ports and engine packages line up better. Fortescue and CMB.TECH are now moving from a single demonstration vessel to up to 12 bulk carriers, with the first three dual-fuel ships due by the end of 2026.