The South Korean port of Ulsan has supplied the new ammonia tanker “Terra Clove” with around 800 tonnes of green ammonia. The port operator, UPA, aims to further improve the conditions for commercial ammonia bunkering.
The bunkering took place at Berth 2 of Ulsan Main Port. The vessel in question is the “Terra Clove”, owned by the Singapore-based shipping company Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS). The newbuild, constructed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, has a cargo capacity of 93,000 m³ and, according to the Ulsan Port Authority (UPA), the world’s first seagoing Very Large Ammonia Carrier (VLAC) with an ammonia dual-fuel propulsion system.
The approximately 800 tonnes of green ammonia were pumped directly on board from the onshore facilities via a pipeline. The so-called Pipe-to-Ship (PTS) process was used, in which the fuel is transferred without the use of a bunker vessel.
In addition to the port authority, EPS, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and the chemical company Lotte Fine Chemical, which supplied the fuel, were also involved in the operation.
This is not the first time Ulsan has carried out an ammonia bunkering operation. As HANSA reported at the time, the port had supplied around 600 tonnes of green ammonia to a 45,000-class gas tanker for the first time in April. On that occasion, too, the supply was delivered via a shore-based pipeline.
Through these operations to date, UPA aims to gain experience and establish the technical and operational conditions required for a regular commercial supply of ammonia.
“This project demonstrates how important close cooperation between the authorities and industry is in advancing ammonia bunkering in Ulsan and South Korea. We want to further establish Ulsan as a key supply hub for alternative marine fuels,” explained UPA President Jaeyoung Byeon.
Ulsan is one of South Korea’s most important industrial and energy ports. According to the port authority, the port handles more than 202 million tonnes of cargo annually and specialises in particular in petrochemical products and the handling of automotive goods.
