World's First AmmoniaBunkering Vessel Makes Maiden Voyage from Nanjing

NANJING, September 15^th — The Bloom Happiness, world’s first vessel fitted for dedicated liquid-ammonia bunkering, completed liquid-ammonia loading at Qingjiang Wharf, Nanjing Port. Carrying 1,000 tonnes of green ammonia on this voyage, the vessel departed Nanjing for Zhoushan Port, Zhejiang Province, to deliver ship-to-ship green-ammonia bunkering services for international vessels.

Retrofitted from a conventional liquid-ammonia carrier, the Bloom Happiness is world’s first operational ship upgraded with ammonia-bunkering capabilities, as well as China’s first operational vessel certified by China Classification Society (CCS) for ammonia-fuel bunkering. It combines dual functions: liquid-ammonia transportation and ship-to-ship fuel bunkering.

For this operation, the Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration collaborated with the wharf operator, vessel crew, customs, border inspection authorities and other stakeholders to develop a tailor-made “one-vessel-one-plan” navigation and operation support scheme. Prior to loading, targeted safety inspections were conducted covering vessel qualifications, equipment conditions and crew credentials, with identified issues rectified in a closed-loop manner. During operations, 24-hour on-site supervision was implemented using drones, intelligent monitoring systems and maritime patrol craft to ensure safe control over high-risk procedures including cargo loading and pipeline transfer.

Statistics show that Nanjing Port’s foreign-trade export volume of liquid ammonia exceeded 100,000 tonnes between June and August this year. A diversified green-ship service support system covering liquid ammonia, methanol and LNG has taken shape locally. The successful execution of this cross-port green-ammonia bunkering operation marks progress for Nanjing in developing new energy bunkering ports, and drives the regional shipping and logistics hub toward greener and more international development.

Source: Nanjing News