Ammonia-fuelled bulk carriers could be deployed on the South Africa-Europe iron ore trade route as soon as 2029 and scale toward full decarbonisation by 2035, according to a Global Maritime Forum study released last week.

The study found that announced green ammonia projects could meet the corridor’s fuel demand competitively and that Saldanha Bay could emerge as a long-term green bunkering hub, supporting South Africa’s green hydrogen economy and the global transition to zero-emission shipping.

To make the corridor operational by 2029, the study suggests:

• Creating an enabling contracting environment to optimally and fairly allocate risks and rewards across the value chain
• Engaging with South African government bodies and industry stakeholders to raise awareness of the corridor opportunity and the need for an enabling policy environment, and build momentum around it
• Mobilising funding and incentives for corridor infrastructure that will contribute to Saldanha’s hydrogen hub and port development

The corridor linking Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape to the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands would be one of the first Global South-to-North green shipping routes.