Rotterdam is the world’s second largest bunkering port, with approximately ten million tonnes of fuel bunkered annually. Together with all parties in the port, the Port of Rotterdam Authority aims to enable the bunkering of all alternative low-carbon fuels in the future, promoting greater sustainability for international shipping. Ammonia has the advantage of being carbon-free, meaning it does not emit CO2 when combusted. The Ammonia Bunkering Pilot has demonstrated that, following the established safety framework, ammonia bunkering can be done safely and without toxic releases in the Port of Rotterdam.
The port of Rotterdam uses the IAPH international Port Readiness Level (PRL) assessment tool to prepare for all new marine fuels. To properly prepare the port to receive and bunker ships using new fuels, various steps are being taken to ensure that all regulatory, safety, infrastructural and supply factors are taken into consideration and are in order. For ammonia, undertaking this pilot concluded PRL level 6 and raised the port’s readiness to PRL level 7, with all safety procedures ready to allow bunkering on a project basis. The applied bunkering frameworks are making use of the IAPH Clean Marine Fuel (CMF) safety tools and SGMF ammonia bunkering guidelines.
With this enhanced readiness, the port of Rotterdam is ensuring that it is adequately prepared for bunkering of the first ammonia-fuelled ships. The learnings of the pilot and the established procedures will be disseminated to the EU, other ports and relevant parties.