Fortescue’s Green Pioneer sails from Singapore to Dubai for COP28

The Fortescue Green Pioneer has sailed from Singapore to Dubai for COP28 as a symbol of the regulatory changes needed to decarbonise shipping.

Fortescue chairman and founder Andrew Forrest says at this point in time, the regulatory landscape doesn’t allow ammonia ships to operate.

“Now that green ammonia is emerging as a bulk marine fuel, it is now the time of the great ports of the world to become capable of pollution free shipping,” he said.

“This is seriously limiting the progress of the decarbonisation of shipping.”

Over the past 18 months, Fortescue has been developing the processes, systems and technology needed to safely run Green Pioneer as a green ammonia dual-fuel ship. This was done in collaboration with leading maritime engineers and innovators.

Earlier in the year at its Perth testing facility, Fortescue successfully retrofitted a four-stroke engine to run on a combination of diesel and ammonia.

Since then, Fortescue has installed an entire gas fuel delivery system and converted two of the four engines to enable the vessel to run in dual-fuel mode.

Fortescue has also pioneered and implemented new ammonia-specific safety and fuel handling courses in conjunction with an accredited Singapore learning institution to ensure all seafarers can be inducted and operate in a safe and controlled manner with ammonia fuel onboard.

While in Dubai, the vessel will not be carrying ammonia or demonstrating the use of it as a fuel, however, when it returns to Singapore, Fortescue will complete commissioning to enable it to perform a world-first ammonia transfer.

Currently in the waters of the Dubai Harbour Marina, the ship is one of the most significant and fastest marine innovation platforms.