On October 9, the world's first 210,000-tonne ammonia dual-fuel bulk carrier, the "Europa Mineral," built by Beihai Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), in collaboration with China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. for Belgium's CMB.TECH, was signed and delivered. This is the world's first 210,000-tonne-class large bulk carrier powered by ammonia fuel, marking a major breakthrough in the green and low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry in the dry bulk shipping sector.
R&D, Design and Construction | Beihai Shipbuilding Sets a New Benchmark for Green Shipbuilding
As a brand-new "zero-carbon" vessel type, the ship was independently developed and designed by Beihai Shipbuilding. The vessel has an overall length of 300 meters and a molded breadth of 50 meters, and is equipped with two 3,000-cubic-meter Type C ammonia fuel tanks, enabling "zero-carbon" operation throughout the entire voyage. The ship excels in green performance, energy efficiency, intelligence and safety, making it a benchmark product in the current field of environmentally friendly ship construction. Ammonia fuel is regarded by the industry as one of the most promising technical pathways for achieving deep decarbonization of large ocean-going vessels. The delivery of the "Europa Mineral" not only provides a practical and feasible "China Solution" for the decarbonization of the global bulk carrier fleet, but also confirms the technical strength and first-mover advantages of China's shipbuilding industry in the field of green-powered vessels.
Power Core | CSSC Power Group Achieves Near-Zero Ammonia Slip
The "Europa Mineral" is equipped with a CPGC/CSE-WinGD 6X72DF-A-1.0-HPSCR ammonia-fueled low-speed engine manufactured by CSSC Qingdao Qiyao under CSSC Power Group. During sea trials in ammonia fuel mode, the main engine demonstrated superior performance across all indicators, with ammonia emissions after combustion historically breaking through to below 10 ppm, achieving near-zero ammonia slip. This fully demonstrates CSSC Power Group's solid R&D capabilities in the field of zero-carbon power low-speed engines. A total of 10 engines of this ammonia fuel engine series were independently developed by CSSC Winterthur Engine Co., Ltd. (WinGD).
System Support | 725th Research Institute Develops Ammonia Fuel Supply System
During actual ship testing, the GasLink®Marine Ammonia Fuel Supply System (AFSS) independently developed by Shuangrui Environment under the 725th Research Institute demonstrated excellent adaptability and coordination with the WinGD ammonia fuel engine, with all technical indicators meeting the standards. The Shuangrui Environment R&D team overcame multiple industry technical challenges, including material compatibility optimization, pressure stability control, ammonia absorption treatment and system simulation. The system offers advantages such as high safety, rational design and low maintenance costs, laying a solid support foundation for the safe and stable operation of ammonia-fueled vessels.
Bunkering Support | CSSC Materials Overcomes Key Technologies for Cryogenic Liquid Ammonia Bunkering
CSSC Materials Hengyu Energy Co., Ltd. took the lead in establishing a ammonia fuel bunkering special technical research team in early 2025, focusing on four core technical pain points: ambient-to-cryogenic liquid ammonia conversion, safety and controllability, green environmental protection, and intelligent operation and maintenance. The company developed and built an integrated liquid ammonia gas trial bunkering test system, incorporating multiple functions including tanker unloading, gasification, cooling, tail gas treatment and inerting. In August this year, the company completed China's first marine cryogenic liquid ammonia gas trial bunkering operation, providing strong support for ship delivery and filling the technical gap in China's marine cryogenic liquid ammonia bunkering sector.
