Japan receives ammonia shipment from Saudi Arabia

A first shipment of low-carbon ammonia produced by Sabic Agri-Nutrients (Sabic AN) with feedstock from Aramco has arrived in Japan for use as fuel in power generation, Aramco announced on April 20.

The shipment was sold by Aramco Trading Company to the Fuji Oil Company. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines shipped the liquid to Japan, then the low-carbon ammonia was transported to the Sodegaura refinery for use in co-fired power generation, with technical support provided by Japan Oil Engineering Co. 

The low-carbon ammonia that reached Japan is part of broader efforts by Aramco and Sabic AN to establish a global supply network for this lower-carbon fuel, Armaco said. Aramco and Sabic AN aim to supply low-carbon ammonia to other players to meet their early demand needs.  

In 2020, Aramco collaborated with Sabic to dispatch the world’s first shipment of low-carbon ammonia to Japan in a demonstration project. Then, in 2022, Aramco and Sabic AN received the world’s first independent accreditation for low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia products. By the end of that year, the two companies had delivered the world’s first accredited low-carbon ammonia shipment to South Korea.

“The latest shipment to Japan brings this lower-carbon energy solution one step closer to the mainstream,” Aramco said.