FMG achieves green fuel milestone

Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has successfully completed the issuance of the world’s first digital fuel certificate for an ammonia-to-ship transfer at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The transaction involved the Fortescue Green Pioneer, the first ocean-going dual-fuelled ammonia powered vessel, during a recent fuel transfer operation.

Issued by Trovio’s CorTenX registry platform, the certificate marks a breakthrough in the development of systems to trace and verify new marine fuels for the global energy transition.

The digital certificate provides auditable transparency across the supply chain by capturing immutable, granular data on the sustainability attributes of the fuel, including its origin, handling and transfer specifics.

Fortescue green shipping head Andrew Hoare says this pilot marks a key step in scaling the infrastructure required for zero-emission fuels.

“As the first company to complete an ammonia-to-ship fuel transfer with full digital certification, Fortescue is not only advancing the physical deployment of green fuels but also setting new benchmarks for transparency and traceability,” he said.

“Partnering with Trovio and GH2, we’ve demonstrated that digital registries like CorTenX can underpin robust, auditable verification of sustainability attributes — critical for regulatory alignment, stakeholder trust and emissions accounting.

“This is about proving what’s possible and accelerating what’s necessary.”

Though significant attention has been directed to the engineering and safety proticols surrounding ammonia as a maritime fuel, this milestone highlights the critical role of digital infrastructure in enabling scale.

Trovio chief executive Jon Deane says the pilot proves how CorTenX can serve as the backbone for a scalable and interoperable registry system that empowers the green fuel transition.

“By digitising the fuel lifecycle and enabling automated compliance, we reduce friction, increase integrity and accelerate global adoption of zero-emission fuels,” he said.

The CorTenX platform records end-to-end supply chain data, including port and vessel details, transaction timestamp and associated sustainability metrics put in place by regulators like the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), national governments or voluntary initiatives including the Green Hydrogen Standard.

These data points are cryptographically secured and can be made available to the public as well as independent verifiers to meet regulatory compliance.

GH2 chief executive Jonas Moberg says following the IIMO’s ground-breaking agreement in April on mandatory emissions limits and GHG pricing for global shipping, green fuel producers have received an important signal to supply the industry.

“It is essential that systems are put in place not only to capture the volumes but the key environmental attributes of fuels such as e-ammonia made from renewables,” he said.

“The recent pilot shows we are ready to record those attributes as soon as the fuels start being delivered to ships.”