Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a joint study to build a supply chain of renewable green ammonia with Australian energy company Origin Energy.
In a statement, MOL said it and Origin will complete a feasibility study on marine transportation of ammonia, demand in Japan and Asia, and developing a supply chain by December 2021.
Origin is pursuing a number of green ammonia and hydrogen projects, including a green ammonia export project in Bell Bay, Tasmania, with first cargo targeted for 2026.
Producing no CO2 during combustion, and a carrier for transporting hydrogen, ammonia is in seen as a promising energy resource that can help meet the 2050 target set by the Japanese government for achieving carbon neutrality goals.
Green ammonia (produced using a renewable energy source that emits no CO2) can make a major contribution to reducing CO2 in the supply chain.
The MOL Group said it will seek to reduce GHG emissions from its operated vessels by 2050, and contribute to reducing GHG emissions generated by society and realising a low-carbon society by taking a proactive approach to building supply chains for cleaner energy resources.