OCI, which owns and operates the only ammonia facility at the port, said the expansion will triple ammonia throughput capacity at the terminal to 1.2 million tonnes per year by 2023.

“OCI’s decision to invest in tripling its ammonia import capacity in Rotterdam perfectly fits our plans. Our ambition is to be a carbon neutral port in 2050. This regards not only the industry in the port area, but also shipping. Ammonia is not only a hydrogen carrier and a feedstock for the chemical industry, it’s also an important renewable fuel for the shipping sector,” said Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam.

”To be able to bunker ammonia, steps such as OCI’s need to be implemented to increase the base. As sailing on ammonia is something new, we’re working hard together with the business community and public authorities to have the regulations and safe handling procedures for ammonia bunkering operations in place in time.”

Ammonia strategy

OCI said that the expansion follows significant increase in ammonia imports during the past year to compensate for lower European ammonia production due to volatile and high gas prices, which is expected to continue in the medium term.

The terminal is strategically located to enable import of blue and green ammonia from OCI’s global operations in the Middle East & North Africa at Fertiglobe and the US, connecting to key infrastructure to serve Europe’s future hydrogen deficit.

It will also cater for emerging large-scale demand for low carbon as a fuel including from ammonia-fuelled vessels, expected to first launch in 2025

The expansion will be developed under a staged investment approach, with an initial increase in throughput capacity from the current c.400 ktpa to up to 1.2 million metric tonnes per year to be achieved through low-cost upgrades to OCI’s existing infrastructure. Total investment cost for the first phase is estimated to be below US$20 million, with completion expected in 2023.

For the second phase, OCI has completed a basic engineering package for the construction of a new world-scale ammonia tank at the terminal, which, along with a scale-up in jetty infrastructure, will allow a potential increase in throughput to above 3 million tonnes per annum.

OCI plans to commence permitting activities this year.