CMB.TECH's Mineral Europa leaves for Australia as first ammonia-powered bulker
The 210,000 dwt Newcastlemax will carry Pilbara iron ore for Fortescue; 20 more ammonia ships are due by 2029
CMB.TECH said on 9 October that Mineral Europa, a 210,000 dwt Newcastlemax delivered this year, has left on her maiden voyage to Australia. The Antwerp-based group calls her the world's first ammonia-powered dry bulk carrier. She will carry iron ore from the Pilbara region of Western Australia to China and other markets on charter to Fortescue.
The ship was built by CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding and has a dual-fuel engine, developed with WinGD, that can burn ammonia or conventional marine fuel. She is 300 metres long with a reported speed of 14 knots, is owned by Bocimar, the group's dry bulk arm, and is managed by Anglo-Eastern. The ammonia is carried as a liquid in independent tanks on deck, set back from the ship's sides, and every crew member has to complete training before joining. The ships in the series are registered in Belgium.
"After almost a decade of hard work, we are proving that decarbonising shipping is no longer a distant ambition. It is happening today," chief executive Alexander Saverys said in the company's announcement. The group says the ship will run on green ammonia. It has not said whether ammonia will be used on this first voyage, or how much of the fuel is available.
How many ammonia ships are coming?
CMB.TECH expects 21 ammonia-powered ships between now and 2029: 18 dry bulk carriers, one containership and two chemical tankers, most of them within the next nine months. Under the Fortescue agreement reported in June, the miner will charter 12 Newcastlemaxes, of which up to three are delivered with ammonia dual-fuel engines and due in service in 2026, and nine are built ammonia-ready for later conversion.
A separate deal with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines from March 2025 covers nine ammonia-powered ships. The two companies will jointly own three 210,000 dwt Newcastlemaxes under construction at Qingdao Beihai, to be delivered in 2026 and 2027 and chartered to MOL for 12 years. CMB.TECH is also building two ammonia-fitted and four ammonia-ready chemical tankers at China Merchants Jinling in Yangzhou for delivery in 2028 and 2029, on charters of seven to ten years to MOL Chemical Tankers.
The group says it is also investing in ammonia storage and in bunker barges to deliver the fuel to ocean-going ships. DNV counts five ammonia-fuelled ships in service: two gas carriers delivered to Exmar in June, two tugs and Fortescue's demonstration offshore vessel. Four dry bulk carriers, including CMB.TECH's, were listed as in testing, and 41 ammonia-fuelled ships are on order for delivery by 2030.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 12 October 2026.
