Ammonia Bunkering: Where the Next Fuel Demand Forms

Ammonia bunkering will only scale once demand comes from ships outside the first-mover fleets. CMB.TECH's chief technology officer Roy Campe told ENGINE that the company's own ships will create the first demand at the planned Walvis Bay ammonia terminal, but third-party customers will decide whether the terminal works commercially, according to Hellenic Shipping News (October 2026).

That single sentence sets the commercial problem for every bunker supplier, port agent and chandler watching alternative fuels: the infrastructure is being built ahead of the customers.

What CMB.TECH is building, and for whom

CMB.TECH plans to grow its ammonia-capable fleet to 21 vessels by 2029, made up of 18 bulk carriers, one container ship and two chemical carriers, Hellenic Shipping News reports. Its own fleet generates the first lift at Walvis Bay.

Campe's point is that a terminal cannot run on a single owner's ships. Third-party demand underpins commercial viability, which means the terminal needs other operators calling with ammonia-fuelled tonnage, or willing to switch.

For a supplier, that reframes the question. The relevant one is which ammonia-capable vessels will actually call at your ports in the next few years, not how many are on order worldwide.

The crew and training layer is already moving

Anglo-Eastern is training seafarers for ammonia and LNG handling at its academy and training centres in India, including an LNG and ammonia bunkering station skid and alternative fuel simulators, according to Hellenic Shipping News (October 2026).

Training signals intent. A manager that invests in simulator time for ammonia handling is preparing crews for real bunkering operations, not a pilot.

For port service companies, that preparation has a practical edge. Ammonia transfers need qualified people on both sides of the manifold, and the shore side is where local suppliers and agents can add value.

Why fuel standard work matters to port suppliers

The UK Chamber of Shipping has set out recommendations for a domestic maritime fuel standard, drawing on industry experience since FuelEU Maritime came into force in January 2025, Hellenic Shipping News reports (October 2026).

Fuel standards decide which grades a port must be able to supply, and how compliance is documented at the bunker stem. Suppliers that follow the rule-making early get ahead of the paperwork and the storage question.

The same logic applies outside the UK. Where a regional standard lands, the ports inside it attract the new fuel demand first.

Where the demand sits today: conventional calls

Alternative fuel is a long game. The near-term work is still conventional port calls, and those are shifting.

Port congestion is pressuring supply chains from West Africa and Europe to the Middle East, with Drewry's head of ports and terminals discussing the causes on The Loadstar (October 2026). Congested ports mean longer stays, which means more stores, water and victualling per call.

Car carrier capacity is also expanding. MSC-controlled Global Car Carriers has ordered two more 8,600 ceu LNG dual-fuel pure car and truck carriers at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard, taking its programme to 22 ships with delivery in 2030, according to Splash247 (October 2026).

LNG dual-fuel car carriers need LNG bunkering arrangements, not ammonia. That is a nearer-term sales conversation for ports with LNG supply.

What this means for chandlers, bunker suppliers and agents

Fuel transition work is a planning exercise now and a sales pipeline later. The providers that win are the ones that map the fleet before it arrives.

• Bunker suppliers: track which dual-fuel and ammonia-ready vessels are scheduled for your ports, and which managers operate them. A 21-ship programme is a known quantity you can follow.
• Ship chandlers: alternative-fuel vessels still need standard stores, but they add safety equipment, gas-detection consumables and specialised PPE to the order. Ask the technical superintendent early.
• Port agents: a first ammonia or LNG call at a port involves permits, shore coordination and extra documentation. Being the agent that has done the groundwork is a real differentiator.
• Repair yards and marine service companies: dual-fuel and ammonia systems need technicians trained on gas handling. Yard capability becomes a selling point in tender responses.

How to prepare before the first call

Treat the transition as a targeting problem. You need the vessels, the managers behind them and the roles that decide on fuel and stores.

1. List the ammonia-capable and dual-fuel vessels in the order books and fleets that touch your region.
2. Identify the technical manager and DOC holder for each, since they set the supply and safety standards.
3. Find the technical and purchasing superintendents who approve stores and bunker specifications.
4. Approach them before the vessel is fixed to your port, with a specific capability statement.
5. Keep a record of who replied, who asked for documents and who deferred to a later call.

The research paper view helps here. A 2026 paper in the International Journal of Business Management and Economics and Trade describes freight visibility built on event-driven data pipelines, covering order creation, loading, in transit, arrival and transshipment as distinct event domains (DOI). Port service sales follow the same shape: each vessel movement is an event worth acting on.

How VesselReach helps

VesselReach turns vessel movements at your chosen ports into targeted conversations with the people who decide on fuel, stores and services.

• Vessel intelligence and AI company targeting: VesselReach shows vessels near your ports and expected arrivals, then identifies the owner, manager or operator behind each one, which means you can approach the right company before the vessel is fixed.
• Decision-maker discovery: VesselReach finds technical superintendents, purchasing and fleet roles by name, which means your ammonia or LNG capability statement reaches the person who approves the specification.
• Multichannel outreach with AI enquiry handling: staged email, WhatsApp and phone contact, with AI answering routine enquiries from approved information and escalating to your team, which means no first enquiry goes unanswered.

Book a VesselReach demo to see how vessel arrivals at your ports become qualified sales opportunities.