OCI Global and Victrol have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop a supply chain for clean ammonia bunkering in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Under the collaboration, OCI's subsidiary OCI Ammonia Distribution B.V. will source and import clean ammonia — both blue and green — from production hubs in the US, Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. The molecules will be transported by sea-going vessels to the OCI Terminal Europoort ammonia import terminal in the Port of Rotterdam, where they will be stored, distributed, and made available for use as marine fuel.

Victrol will design, build, and operate a liquid ammonia bunker barge that will load refrigerated ammonia at OCI's terminal and deliver it directly to ships in the ports, as well as to inland industrial off-takers.

OCI owns and operates a large-scale ammonia import terminal in the Port of Rotterdam. The company has permits in place to expand the terminal's storage capacity from 30,000 tonnes to 90,000 tonnes and throughput up to 2 million tonnes per year.

Both companies are working with the Port of Rotterdam and relevant authorities to ensure safety and regulatory frameworks are in place. The partnership builds on the port's first ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering pilot conducted in April, which raised Rotterdam's readiness for ammonia fuel to level 7 under the International Port Readiness framework.

Aviv Bar Tal, Global Vice President at OCI, said: "Ammonia is essential to the energy transition — the most scalable, policy-backed, and commercially viable clean hydrogen solution available today. The unparalleled combination of OCI's expansive sourcing network, proprietary import terminal, and valuable end-user partnerships, with Victrol's unique expertise in bunkering infrastructure, is creating Europe's first end-to-end ammonia fuel supply chain."

Matthijs van Doorn, Vice President Commercial at Port of Rotterdam Authority, commented: "The Port of Rotterdam is preparing for a multi-fuel future to decarbonise global shipping, with ammonia as one of the future fuels. It is great to see this strategic partnership develop after the ammonia bunkering pilot in April, where both OCI and Victrol also played an important role."

Victrol is a bunkering service company active in Belgium and the Netherlands, with experience in LNG supply to the maritime industry. The company is developing tank barges to support energy transition initiatives, including an ammonia bunker barge to deliver refrigerated ammonia to inland customers and perform ship-to-ship bunkering for ammonia-fuelled vessels.