Yara International, Norwegian ammonia and fertilizer firm, has partnered with Azane Fuel Solutions, a Norwegian technology company, to build a green ammonia fuel bunker network in Scandinavia by 2024.
In a multi-year agreement with Azane Fuel Solutions, Yara has pre-ordered 15 ammonia bunker terminals to cover the Scandinavian market. The units will be either barge-based or land-based.
“The collaboration between Azane and Yara is an important milestone in decarbonizing shipping, leveraging Yara Clean Ammonia’s extensive production capabilities and global logistics,” said Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, president of Yara Clean Ammonia. “These bunkering terminals are key pieces of the puzzle to ensure reliable and safe ammonia supply as zero-emission fuel,” he added.
Amon Maritime and ECONNECT Energy, Azane’s shareholders, got state funding from Norway’s Green Initiative program last year to create the first pilot unit. Together with subsidies from Innovation Norway and the Norwegian Research Council, they will fund the pilot terminal.
The sister-project FlexBulk, in which bulker startup Viridis Bulk Carriers and consortium partners intend to establish the world’s first short-sea fleet using ammonia as fuel, with deliveries starting in 2024 or 2025, is also closely tied to Azane’s “Ammonia fuel bunkering network.”
“For those of us who build ships that will run on green ammonia, this agreement means that we can be sure that the fuel is available for delivery when the first vessels are ready,” stated André Risholm, CEO at Amon Maritime, board member of Viridis Bulk Carriers and chairman of Azane Fuel Solutions.
