Fortescue, CMB.TECH partner to advance zero-emission iron ore shipping

• Fortescue to charter up to 12 ammonia-capable Newcastlemax bulk carriers
  
  
• BHP trials biofuel voyage from Western Australia to China in Jun'26
  
  

Mysteel Global: Australian mining giant Fortescue has signed an agreement with Belgian maritime group CMB.TECH to charter up to 12 ammonia-capable Newcastlemax bulk carriers, advancing the use of green ammonia as a marine fuel and helping to decarbonise the global shipping industry.

The agreement, announced on June 22, expands on a previous deal inked between the two companies in 2025 to deploy a single ammonia-powered vessel for iron ore shipments,as Mysteel Global reported.

Under the new deal, Fortescue will charter a fleet of 12 Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels (210,000 dwt) from Bocimar, CMB.TECH's dry bulk operator. The fleet includes three vessels with dual-fuel ammonia engines scheduled for delivery by end-2026, with the remaining nine being ammonia-ready for future conversion.

If powered by green ammonia, the combined fleet could cut carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 250,000 tonnes annually compared with conventional marine fuels, according to Fortescue.

"Fortescue's Green Pioneer demonstration vessel has already shown that ammonia can be used safely and effectively in marine operations. The next challenge is scaling the use of green ammonia," said Katie Charuga, Fortescue's director of integrated operations.

Fortescue's Green Pioneer is the world's first dual-fuel ammonia-powered vessel, Mysteel Global noted. It made history in March 2024 with the world's first ammonia bunkering trial at the Port of Singapore and later became the first vessel to sail on ammonia in international waters, visiting London, Rotterdam, Monaco, Boston, New York, and Belm.

Meanwhile, earlier this month on June 3, Fortescue's counterpart miner in Western Australia, BHP, announced that in partnership with the Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, it had conducted a sea trial of a blended biofuel derived from used cooking oil and waste animal fat, saying that the use of the biofuel is calculated to reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 79% compared to conventional very low sulfur fuel oil.

The biofuel was deployed on bulk carrier the Berge Lyngor, a vessel owned and operated by BHP's partner Berge Bulk and chartered by BHP, to verify the supply chain and fuel quality within an operational environment, it said.

The ship bunkered the fuel in Singapore in early May and transported iron ore from Western Australia to China. The vessel used "B100" fuel, a blend consisting of 50% tallow-based biodiesel and 50% used cooking oil methyl ester supplied by Mitsui & Co. Energy Trading Singapore.

Note: This article has been written in accordance with a content exchange agreement between Mysteel Global and BigMint.