Chinese shipyards, fuel producers and bunkering companies are establishing supply chains for ammonia-powered shipping, working with international shipowners and classification societies. Projects linking Qingdao, Songyuan, Chifeng and Zhoushan show how the different parts of the industry are coming together.

China’s role in ammonia-fuelled shipping is extending from vessel construction to fuel production and delivery, with Chinese-built ships and domestically produced green ammonia now meeting in practical bunkering operations.

At Zhoushan in October, the 210,000-dwt bulk carrier Mineral Europa, built by CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding for Belgium’s CMB.TECH, received 1,000 tonnes of green ammonia produced in Jilin province. The operation connected an inland renewable-fuel project with storage and transport facilities, a converted bunkering vessel and an ocean-going ship.

A separate supply chain has taken green ammonia from Envision Energy’s Chifeng project in Inner Mongolia to South Korea. Envision announced on November 3 that its fuel had been supplied for bunkering Terra Clove, Eastern Pacific Shipping’s ammonia dual-fuel very large ammonia carrier, through LOTTE Fine Chemical’s supply arrangements in Ulsan.

Together, the projects illustrate two emerging roles for China: building ammonia-fuelled vessels for international owners and producing fuel for ships constructed both at home and overseas.

Chinese yards and international owners

Qingdao Beihai is one of the Chinese yards translating ammonia propulsion into commercial vessels.

Its Mineral Europa is equipped with a WinGD ammonia dual-fuel engine and a SunRui ammonia fuel supply system. The vessel can operate on ammonia or conventional marine fuel, retaining flexibility as the alternative-fuel supply network develops.

Anglo-Eastern supported the project through engineering, newbuilding supervision, operational preparation and crew training. Its work included vessel-specific bunkering and emergency procedures, simulator-based training and participation by senior officers in yard and sea trials.

The relationship between Chinese builders and overseas owners also extends to longer-term fleet commitments.

Under an agreement announced in March 2025, CMB.TECH and Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will jointly own three 210,000-dwt ammonia-fitted Newcastlemax bulk carriers ordered at Qingdao Beihai. Each is to be chartered to MOL for 12 years.

The same agreement covers six chemical tankers ordered by CMB.TECH at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou for charter to MOL Chemical Tankers. Two are specified as ammonia-fitted and four as ammonia-ready, with the wider nine-vessel programme scheduled for delivery between 2026 and 2029.

That distinction matters. An ammonia-ready vessel incorporates preparations for a later conversion; it should not automatically be counted as capable of burning ammonia on delivery. DNV’s Fuel Ready notation explicitly addresses preparation for future fuel conversion.

Green ammonia production in northern China

Two production centres are already connected to the recent marine-fuel deliveries: Songyuan in Jilin and Chifeng in Inner Mongolia.

China Energy Engineering Corporation’s Songyuan project, marketed as “Qingqing No. 1”, commissioned its first phase in December 2025. That phase has annual green-ammonia capacity of 200,000 tonnes and supplied the fuel used in the Zhoushan operation.

Construction of a second phase began on October 20, 2026. It is designed to add 400,000 tonnes of annual capacity, bringing the combined total to 600,000 tonnes once completed. The expansion remains distinct from the capacity already operating.

Envision’s Chifeng project has first-phase green-ammonia capacity of 320,000 tonnes a year. The company announced its commissioning in July 2025 and has since connected the project to international deliveries, including the supply for Terra Clove.

These figures describe production capacity, rather than volumes committed exclusively to shipping. Actual marine-fuel availability also depends on output, competing customers, contracted purchases and the logistics required to reach a receiving vessel.

From inland production to ship-side delivery

The Zhoushan operation demonstrates the role of companies linking fuel production with the waterfront.

The green ammonia travelled through a supply chain connecting Songyuan, Nanjing and Zhoushan. Andefu participated in organising the supply, while Sheng Hang Yong Le carried out the ship-to-ship delivery to Mineral Europa.

According to the Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration, the bunkering vessel is operated and managed by Nanjing-based Shenghang Shipping, while Jiangsu Andefu organised the fuel supply. The vessel was upgraded from an ammonia carrier to perform both transport and ship-to-ship fuel delivery.

Within the Andefu group, Zhoushan Andefu Green Energy obtained a local ammonia bunkering licence in May 2026. This commercial authorisation and the vessel’s technical certification cover different parts of the operation.

The arrangement shows why “bunker supplier” can encompass several separate functions: sourcing and selling the fuel, holding the relevant local authorisation, operating the delivery vessel and managing the transfer itself.

China’s developing services sit alongside projects elsewhere in Asia. In Singapore, ITOCHU subsidiary ZETA Bunkering has received authorisation for ammonia bunkering trials. ITOCHU plans demonstrations with MOL in the fourth quarter of 2027, using a new bunkering vessel under construction at Japan’s Sasaki Shipbuilding, subject to the relevant approvals.

Classification and regulatory approval

Classification societies are involved in making these supply chains technically workable, particularly where existing vessels are adapted for a new function.

China Classification Society’s Zhejiang branch surveyed the bunkering conversion of Sheng Hang Yong Le. CCS said its work covered drawing reviews, construction and piping inspections, equipment testing, emergency shutdown and leak-detection systems, as well as risk assessments, mooring analysis and operating procedures.

The society issued the vessel’s ammonia bunkering class certification following the conversion.

International projects similarly involve shipowners, yards, class and flag administrations working together. For Terra Clove, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority worked with EPS, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and ABS on technical and regulatory compliance, including design review, hazard studies, ammonia detection and fuel-system safety. In its October 22 announcement, MPA said delivery was expected in November following sea trials.

At the international level, IMO’s interim guidelines for ships using ammonia as fuel provide a safety framework. Approved in December 2024 and issued as MSC.1/Circ.1687 in February 2025, they set out high-level safety goals and acknowledge that further revision will be needed as operating experience develops.

Fuel sustainability is a separate compliance requirement. A vessel’s class certification addresses technical matters; the evidence supporting a fuel’s greenhouse-gas characteristics must follow the applicable certification and verification framework. The European Commission’s FuelEU Maritime guidance, for example, sets out requirements concerning renewable-fuel certification and mass-balance accounting.

China’s recent projects have established practical connections between ship construction, renewable-ammonia production, logistics and bunkering. The next stage will be measured through repeated deliveries and sustained vessel operation: how reliably fuel reaches ships, how the engines perform and what the complete supply chain costs.