Singapore-based Berge Bulk has confirmed a recent report by TradeWinds that it has signed up for two newcastlemax bulk carriers at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry.
The James Marshall-led company said the 210,000-dwt vessels will be powered by ammonia, a significant step in its moves towards a zero-carbon future.
TradeWinds broke the news of the order for the two ships on 1 March, although at the time market sources believed the ships were to be ammonia-ready.
The two bulkers are scheduled to be delivered in 2027 and will be built to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III NOx standards and Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase 3 compliance for greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are very pleased today to order these ammonia dual-fuel vessels as part of our continued journey towards a zero-carbon future,” said Berge Bulk founder and CEO James Marshall.
“The use of ammonia fuel represents an important milestone in our commitment to operate a zero-emissions vessel by 2030 and an essential pillar in our plan to decarbonise.”
“We continue to take urgent action in all four areas of our strategy to effectively reduce our current emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.”
Berge Bulk said the move towards new fuels complements its many other decarbonisation efforts and projects, including a comprehensive programme of energy efficiency retrofits, innovative pilots for new wind technology, and a commitment to plant 25m trees in the coming years.
The dry bulk company has set an ambitious decarbonisation timeline to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, as well as to build and operate a zero-emissions vessel by 2030 and achieve zero emissions fleetwide by 2050.
To meet this tight timeline, Berge Bulk has set out a four-pillar approach it dubs the “Marshall Plan”.
The four pillars are improving fleet efficiency, leveraging the latest maritime technology, converting to new fuels, and investing in carbon capture technology.
Berge Bulk’s chief technical officer Paolo Tonon described ammonia as a promising zero-carbon fuel for the future of the shipping industry.
“Berge Bulk has been actively engaged in discussions with key players in the ammonia supply chain. We are encouraged by the steady progress being made with the development of ammonia engines and the logistics of ammonia bunkering.
“This evolving landscape has given us the confidence to order these two dual-fuel ammonia vessels. We are proud to help shape the roadmap from today’s liquid fuel ships to tomorrow’s ammonia-powered ships,” Tonon said.
Founded in 2007, Berge Bulk is one of the world’s leading independent dry bulk owners. It started out with 12 vessels, but today it owns, operates and manages a fleet of over 80 ships equating to 14m dwt.
