Mining giant Fortescue is on a worldwide campaign to reshape the future of maritime decarbonisation with its flagship vessel, the Fortescue Green Pioneer, at the helm of a push to establish green ammonia as the marine fuel of the future. From Southeast Asia to Western Europe and soon South America, the 75 m long offshore vessel is sailing a message of zero-emissions shipping—backed by real-world results.
Fortescue has set a target of eliminating scope 1 and 2 emissions from its Australian iron ore operations by 2030 and net-zero scope 3 emissions by 2040.
Earlier this year, the Green Pioneer made headlines when it became the world’s first vessel to complete a dual-fuelled ammonia trial in Singapore. Since then, its journey has evolved into a high-profile advocacy mission, stopping at some of the world’s most strategic maritime hubs and political forums.
The industry can lead while policymakers catch up
In March, the vessel arrived in the UK, berthing in Southampton and London’s iconic Canary Wharf and alongside HMS Belfast on the Thames. It underwent the UK’s first-ever Port State Control inspection of an ammonia-fuelled ship and hosted International Maritime Organization (IMO) decision-makers just as the global body reached a milestone agreement on carbon pricing for shipping.
After fuelling up in Rotterdam, the vessel successfully completed a historic international voyage to the south of France via Gibraltar, marking another major breakthrough in demonstrating ammonia’s real-world viability as a marine fuel.
The Green Pioneer’s mission continues at speed. It is now headed for Monaco to participate in the Blue Economy & Finance Forum, before sailing in a flotilla to Nice for the UN Ocean Conference. Later this year, the vessel is slated to appear at COP30 in Belém, Brazil continuing its global climate diplomacy voyage.
Andrew Hoare, head of marine systems and green shipping at Fortescue, commented: “The Fortescue Green Pioneer is proof that industry can lead while policymakers catch up. Every voyage demonstrates that zero-emissions shipping is not theoretical—it’s here, and it works.”
He added that scaling green ammonia is essential: “If we can scale green ammonia, we slash emissions, unlock green fuel markets and future-proof trade. But delay will entrench uncertainty, destabilise supply chains, and deepen the climate crisis.”
At Nor-Shipping 2025 in Oslo this week, Fortescue’s executive chairman, Dr Andrew Forrest, took direct aim at the industry’s reliance on LNG, calling it a “greenwashing” tactic that undermines genuine decarbonisation. He accused shipping lines and the financial sector backing LNG-powered vessels of “wasting a decade” on expensive, low-impact transition fuels.
“The choice is whether to waste the next 10 years on incremental measures that cost more and deliver less—or deliver a real zero fuel standard that drives investment into real maritime decarbonization solutions,” Forrest declared.
A new study from the UCL Energy Institute’s Shipping and Oceans Research Group and UMAS, commissioned by the Global Maritime Forum, concludes that the International Maritime Organization’s recently agreed Net Zero Framework (NZF) sends a strong market signal favouring ammonia dual-fuel ships—particularly from the mid-2030s onward. However, ongoing uncertainties in policy design are holding back early investments in e-fuels and alternative marine fuels.
The report uses a total cost of operation (TCO) model to evaluate various fuel pathways under the new regulatory landscape set by the IMO. While the NZF offers clearer direction for shipowners weighing fuel investments, several key policy elements—such as the zero and near-zero (ZNZ) reward mechanism and surplus unit (SU) trading dynamics—remain unresolved.
“Many stakeholders were waiting for clarity from the IMO to make long-term decisions,” said Dr Tristan Smith, professor of energy and transport at the UCL Energy Institute. “While some uncertainties remain, the case for investing in ammonia dual-fuel ships is now compelling—even under conservative policy projections. In contrast, e-fuel producers still lack sufficient policy certainty to move forward at scale without additional government support or market opportunities.”
The study finds that ammonia dual-fuel vessels strike the best balance of flexibility, competitiveness, and compliance from the mid-2030s, even without considering future rewards for ZNZ fuels. When likely developments in the reward structure are factored in, e-ammonia could emerge as a cost-effective compliance option as early as 2028.
