The Japanese shipping group Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has concluded a joint development agreement with Tokyo-headquartered ITOCHU Corporation for ammonia bunkering demonstrations.
The two partners will collaborate on joint development initiatives with the aim to carry out the demonstration of ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering in Singapore by utilizing their owned ammonia bunkering vessel and ammonia dual-fuel capesize bulkers.
MOL will jointly own three ammonia dual-fuel capesize bulkers with Belgium-based CMB.TECH NV, which are scheduled to be delivered by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding between 2026 and 2027. These vessels will be chartered by MOL.
On the other hand, ITOCHU ordered the world’s first newbuilding 5,000 m3 ammonia bunkering vessel in June 2025.
The vessel will be built by Sasaki Shipbuilding in Japan, which is to be flagged under the Singapore registry and is scheduled to be delivered in 2027.
Through the demonstrations, which is planned to be carried out in the second half of 2027, MOL and ITOCHU aim to promote the early implementation of ammonia bunkering vessels and ammonia-fuelled vessels.
Amid the trend toward decarbonization, ammonia is drawing worldwide attention as one of the next-generation clean energy sources.
In MOL’s plans is to adopt ammonia in its MOL Group environmental vision 2.2 to achieve, as it claims, net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
The other partner, ITOCHU, also aims to commercialize ammonia bunkering business at key maritime traffic locations in Singapore and other countries worldwide.
