Hamburg Port Authority and MB Energy have completed a risk assessment and dedicated safety concept for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering at the Port of Hamburg, according to Hamburg Port Authority.
The work, developed with terminal operators, shipping company representatives and local authorities, establishes procedures for handling ammonia-fuelled vessels in the port.
The framework covers containerships, cruise ships, RoRo vessels and ConRo ships. The move does not mark the start of commercial ammonia bunkering. It completes the safety and operational groundwork needed for Hamburg to receive and bunker ammonia-fuelled ships as demand develops.
MB Energy’s planned ammonia import terminal at its Blumensand tank terminal is expected to support bunker fuel availability in northern German ports from 2029. An ammonia bunker barge is also under consideration to supplement landside infrastructure and supply vessels within the port and potentially beyond it.
Hamburg’s environmental authority granted MB Energy permission in April 2026 to build and operate the import terminal, subject to a final investment decision. The facility is designed to handle about 600,000 tonnes of ammonia per year.
The project includes a new ammonia storage tank and an upgrade of the existing berth for inland barges and seagoing vessels. Rail loading facilities and a connection to a separately developed cracker plant, which could convert ammonia into hydrogen for the future hydrogen grid, are also being considered. The terminal is part of MB Energy’s New Energy Gate project. Ammonia handled at the site could be distributed as an industrial feedstock, a hydrogen carrier and an alternative marine fuel.
Hamburg Port Authority is a public-law institution responsible for waterside and landside port infrastructure, vessel traffic safety, the port railway, property management and the economic development of the Port of Hamburg.
MB Energy, founded in 1947 and headquartered in Hamburg, is an independent integrated energy company operating in Europe, the United States and Singapore. Its activities include the import, storage, distribution and marketing of petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas, chemicals and biofuels.