On October 9, 2026, Belgian shipping company CMB.TECH announced that the Mineral Europa, a 210,000-deadweight-ton bulk carrier capable of running on ammonia fuel, has departed on its maiden voyage to Australia. The company describes the vessel as the world's first ammonia-fueled bulk carrier, and its entry into service shows that ammonia fuel has moved into the actual operation of large cargo ships. However, the ammonia-capable ships chartered by iron ore giant Fortescue are a mix: some will be delivered with dual-fuel engines, while others are designed for future conversion. To judge whether large ships entering service will lead to real decarbonization, it is necessary to look beyond ship specifications and check how the fuel is produced and what greenhouse gas emissions are actually achieved.
Mineral Europa, a 210,000-dwt Ammonia-Fueled Bulk Carrier, Begins Its Maiden Voyage
The Mineral Europa is a large bulk carrier built in 2026. The figure of 210,000 deadweight tons indicates the weight the ship can carry, including cargo and fuel; it is neither the weight of the hull itself nor the amount of ammonia the ship can load. It reflects the scale of large cargo ships used to transport bulk goods such as iron ore.
According to a press release issued by CMB.TECH on October 9, the Mineral Europa has started its maiden voyage to Australia as the world's first ammonia-fueled bulk carrier. What the company emphasizes is that ammonia fuel has been put to practical use on a cargo ship of this size and has entered the operational stage. Note, however, that the "world's first" claim applies only to bulk carriers, not to all types of vessels. Fortescue has previously announced its own efforts with the Green Pioneer, a demonstration vessel that can run on ammonia.
CMB.TECH plans to expand its ammonia-fueled fleet further. According to the company, a total of 21 vessels are scheduled for delivery by 2029: 18 bulk carriers, one container ship, and two chemical tankers. Most of them are expected to be delivered within nine months of this announcement.
That said, this is a delivery schedule for future vessels, and not all 21 ships are already sailing on ammonia.
The information on this entry into service also comes from a corporate announcement by CMB.TECH. It is not a peer-reviewed paper or a demonstration report comparing emissions across multiple ships. The press release does not include the amount of ammonia consumed on the Mineral Europa's maiden voyage or emissions measurements at different engine loads.
Although the start of operations by a large ship is highly significant, it cannot by itself be taken as proof of greenhouse gas reductions.
Fortescue Contracts for Up to 12 Vessels, but Only Some Can Sail on Ammonia
For ammonia-fueled ships to spread, the actions of companies that use those ships to transport cargo matter as well as those of the companies that build them.
Australian iron ore giant Fortescue announced in its April 17, 2025 release that it had signed a charter agreement for an ammonia-fueled ship with Bocimar, a CMB.TECH subsidiary.
The vessel in question was a 210,000-dwt Newcastlemax bulk carrier. It was to be used to transport iron ore produced in Western Australia's Pilbara region to customers around the world, including China, with delivery scheduled by the end of 2026. The ship was described as being equipped with a dual-fuel engine able to use both ammonia and conventional fuel.
The scale of the agreement between the two companies later expanded. According to a follow-up announcement Fortescue published on June 22, 2026, the contract now covers up to 12 vessels. However, not all of the ships will be able to use ammonia as fuel at the time of delivery.
| Vessel category | Number | Status at introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Ships with ammonia-capable dual-fuel engines | Up to 3 | Scheduled to enter service by the end of 2026 |
| Ships ready for conversion to future ammonia use | 9 | Designed to be able to use ammonia fuel after future conversion |
This difference is important when assessing how far ammonia-fueled ships have spread.
Ships designed for future conversion also have value as preparation for a long-term fuel transition. But counting ships that cannot run on ammonia without conversion as ships that can already use ammonia would overstate the progress of adoption.
In addition, the up to 12 vessels contracted by Fortescue and the 21 vessels CMB.TECH as a whole plans to deliver by 2029 are counted on different bases, so the two figures cannot simply be added together.
Fortescue's contract announcements do not name the Mineral Europa, so these materials alone do not make it possible to identify which contracted vessel the ship that has just departed corresponds to.
Still, taken together, the Mineral Europa's entry into service and Fortescue's charter agreements show not only that ammonia-fueled ship development is advancing, but also that companies that actually transport iron ore are preparing for adoption.
Going forward, what matters is not only the number of compatible ships but also which fuel each ship actually sails on.
Ammonia Emits No CO₂ When Burned, but Engines Need Pilot Fuel for Ignition
A major reason ammonia is drawing attention as a next-generation marine fuel is that its molecules contain no carbon. Burning ammonia itself does not produce carbon dioxide (CO₂), so replacing conventional fossil fuels with it could reduce ships' CO₂ emissions.
However, there are technical challenges in burning ammonia stably in the engines of large ships.
In its technical explainer on ammonia fuel, classification society DNV explains that ammonia burns more slowly than diesel fuel and is harder to ignite. Because it is difficult to maintain stable combustion, a method that uses fuel oil alongside it to assist ignition has been adopted.
A concrete example of this mechanism is the ME-LGIA, an ammonia-capable dual-fuel engine from engine maker Everllence.
According to Everllence's official product information, the ME-LGIA can operate with 95% of the energy obtained from fuel supplied by ammonia and the remaining 5% by pilot fuel oil for ignition.
This ratio comes with conditions. It applies to an L1-rated engine running at 100% load in Tier II mode, and actual values vary with the engine rating and load conditions. Moreover, 95% and 5% are shares of the energy obtained from the fuel, not weight or volume ratios.
Furthermore, these are general performance figures published by Everllence for the engine, not fuel consumption ratios measured on the Mineral Europa's maiden voyage. Unless the detailed specifications and operating conditions of the engine installed on the ship are confirmed, these figures cannot be applied directly.
Dual-fuel engines also have modes that can run on conventional fuel oil alone. While the ability to choose fuel offers operational flexibility, a ship equipped with an ammonia-capable engine will not necessarily use ammonia on every voyage.
In addition, when fossil fuel is used as the pilot fuel oil, its combustion produces CO₂. When assessing a ship's overall emissions, it is necessary to consider the consumption of the accompanying fuel oil as well as the ammonia.
The True Decarbonization Effect Depends on How the Ammonia Is Made and What Comes Out of the Exhaust
Even if burning ammonia itself does not generate CO₂, that alone does not mean greenhouse gas emissions from ship operations drop to zero.
In March 2024, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted guidelines for assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of marine fuels across their full life cycle. The IMO's official guidelines, MEPC.391(81), cover everything from raw material procurement to fuel production, transport, bunkering, and use on board.
The greenhouse gases covered include methane and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in addition to CO₂. In other words, measuring only the CO₂ coming out of a ship's funnel is not enough to evaluate how a fuel switch changes the environmental burden.
For ammonia, the production method is especially important.
The amount of greenhouse gases emitted during production differs greatly between green ammonia made with renewable electricity and ammonia made from fossil fuel feedstocks. The emissions reductions expected from green ammonia therefore cannot simply be applied to ammonia produced by other methods.
CMB.TECH has put forward the use of green ammonia, but its October 9 press release does not disclose how the fuel actually used on the Mineral Europa's maiden voyage was produced or how much was consumed.
Emissions from combustion on board also deserve attention.
Although ammonia contains no carbon, it is a nitrogen-containing fuel, so nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) can be generated depending on combustion conditions.
DNV's technical explainer also lists controlling NOx and N₂O emissions as an important challenge. NOx is mainly a problem from the standpoint of air pollution, while N₂O is a potent greenhouse gas, so the two cannot be evaluated with the same metric.
Measures are also needed against "ammonia slip," in which unburned ammonia remains in the exhaust gas.
Everllence explains that the ME-LGIA uses a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to reduce NOx and ammonia remaining in the exhaust. However, having such a device is a separate matter from how much emissions a specific ship actually reduces.
To understand real environmental performance, it is necessary to check not only engine specifications but also operating conditions during voyages and exhaust gas measurement results.
Wider Adoption of Ammonia-Fueled Ships Also Requires a Safe Fuel Supply System
For ammonia-fueled ships to spread, a system for supplying fuel safely and reliably is needed in addition to ship development.
Ammonia is toxic, and strict safety measures are required for fuel storage, bunkering, and handling on board. Besides leak-detection sensors, ventilation equipment, and double-walled piping, mechanisms to shut off fuel flow when an abnormality occurs are also important.
DNV has been developing safety standards for using ammonia as a marine fuel and is also working on risk assessments for storage facilities and bunkering.
In its October 9 announcement, CMB.TECH also explains that it is investing in ammonia storage facilities and bunkering vessels. This is an effort to build, in parallel, the fuel supply system needed for actual operations, in addition to increasing the number of ammonia-capable ships.
The company also mentions the possibility that technological progress could make green ammonia cheaper than conventional diesel fuel. However, this is an outlook on future price competitiveness and does not show that costs have already fallen to that level.
The Mineral Europa's maiden voyage shows that the practical use of ammonia fuel on large cargo ships has moved forward. But to connect this to decarbonization across the shipping industry, it will be necessary to confirm how much ammonia the ships introduced from now on actually use and how much emissions reduction they achieve.
Particularly important is checking the time spent sailing on ammonia, the production method of the ammonia used, and the consumption of pilot fuel oil against actual operating records. Comparing greenhouse gas emissions against the weight of cargo carried and distance sailed would then make it possible to evaluate concretely how much improvement has been made over conventional ships.
If the introduction of large ships advances and an ammonia fuel supply system matching real demand, such as iron ore transport, is established, decarbonization of the shipping industry could move further forward. With the Mineral Europa's entry into service as a starting point, the key measure of success going forward will be not only the number of ships introduced but how much greenhouse gas is actually reduced on real voyages.