The world’s first green ammonia bunkering
In July 2025, the global energy transition entered a new chapter. Envision Energy, a Chinese technology company specializing in green energy, completed the world’s first operation of bunkering green ammonia as marine fuel. The event took place at the port of Dalian, at the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry terminal.
Green Ammonia as the Future of Marine Fuels
Green ammonia is a zero-emission energy carrier. It is currently one of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels in the maritime transport sector. Its key advantage lies in its ability to combust without emitting CO₂ — the only byproducts being water vapor and nitrogen. This is great news for an industry that has long been considered hard to decarbonize due to its massive energy demand and long fleet life cycles.
Wind- and Solar-Powered Innovation
The fuel used in this operation was produced at Envision Energy’s newest facility — the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia production complex in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. This 500 MW installation integrates wind, solar, and energy storage technologies with hydrogen and ammonia production. This enables what is known as dynamic coupling of energy generation with its conversion into green fuel.
The project, recognized as the world’s most cost-efficient facility of its kind, was the first to receive the prestigious ISCC Plus certificate as well as Renewable Ammonia certification from Bureau Veritas.
Technological Breakthrough at Dalian Port
During the bunkering operation on July 25, 2025, green ammonia was refueled into a 5,500 HP port tug equipped with a modern dual-fuel engine and a specialized ammonia power system. The vessel achieves up to 91% replacement of conventional fuel with ammonia. The China Classification Society has classified the tug as an “Ammonia Fuel Tug.”
With this operation, the Port of Dalian has become the world’s first bunkering hub capable of handling a wide range of alternative fuels — from biofuels and green methanol to LNG and green ammonia. This strengthens its position as a key green energy logistics center in East Asia.
Closing the Green Fuel Value Chain
Most importantly, this operation proves that it is possible to effectively close the entire green fuel value chain — from production using renewable energy sources, through logistics and bunkering, to operational use on vessels. This is the first case of its kind globally, and its significance is hard to overstate.
“This is a breakthrough showing that climate-neutral fuels can scale from renewable production all the way to hard-to-decarbonize sectors like maritime shipping,”
says Frank Yu, Vice President of Envision Energy.
Source: fuelcellsworks.com