Fortescue, Cosco eye iron ore on ammonia-fuelled ships

Spanish Market: Metals, Oil products
30/07/24

Australian iron ore producer Fortescue and China-based firm Cosco Shipping will explore building green ammonia-powered ships to transport iron ore from Australia to China.

The two companies signed an initial agreement to collaborate on decarbonising shipping, Fortescue said today. The collaboration will include building and deploying Cosco vessels, or co-owning vessels, which would be fuelled by green ammonia. The vessels will ship iron ore and other mineral products through the Australia-China iron ore green shipping corridor, with aims to lower the corridor's carbon emissions.

"This collaboration marks a significant step in decarbonising the shipping industry and establishing a green fuel supply chain," said Fortescue Metals chief executive officer Dino Otranto.

This comes after the Fortescue Green Pioneer in March received the world's first certification to use ammonia with marine gasoil (MGO) as a marine fuel. The trial was conducted in the port of Singapore.

By Mahua Chakravarty

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

20/03/25

Upper Mississippi River reopens for transit

Houston, 20 March (Argus) — The first towboat arrived at St Paul, Minnesota, today, marking the start of the 2025 navigation season on the upper Mississippi River, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The Neil N. Diehl passed through Lock 2 at Hastings, Minnesota, with nine barges, crossing into St Paul on 19 March. Tows reaching St Paul signify the unofficial start of the navigation season, as St Paul is the last port to open on the Mississippi River after winter ice thaws each year. This is considered an average start time for the navigation season, which typically opens the third week of March. The first tow to reach St Paul in 2024 arrived on 17 March. The Corps released the final Lake Pepin ice measurements of 17in on 12 March and was unable to take new measurements this week since the ice had melted significantly. Lake Pepin measurements help determine when the ice will be thin enough for barges to transit up river. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil central bank raises target rate to 14.25pc

20/03/25

Brazil central bank raises target rate to 14.25pc

Sao Paulo, 20 March (Argus) — Brazil's central bank raised its target interest rate by 1 percentage point to 14.25pc amid accelerating inflation in a decelerating — but still heated — economy. The hike in the target rate, announced Wednesday, was the fifth in a row from a cyclical low of 10.5pc at the end of September last year, partly prompted by accelerating depreciation of the currency, the real, to the US dollar. Brazil's annualized inflation hit 5.06pc in February and is poised to keep accelerating. The bank's Focus economic report increased its inflation forecast to 5.7pc for the end-of-year 2025 from 5.5pc in January, when the bank's policy-making committee last met. Brazil's current government has an inflation ceiling goal of 3pc with tolerance of 1.5 percentage point above or below. The bank has recently changed the way it tracks the inflation goal. Instead of tracking inflation on a calendar year basis, it now monitors the goal on a rolling 12-month basis. The bank cited heated economic activity and a strong labor market as factors that have contributed to rising inflation. But the bank forecasts "modest GDP growth" for Brazil of almost 2pc in 2025, down from 3.4pc growth last year. Further tightening will also be linked to global economic uncertainty prompted by US president Donald Trump's aggressive trade and other policies and the monetary policies of the US Federal Reserve , according to the bank. Brazil's target interest rate is expected to keep rising at the bank's next meeting in 6-7 May, albeit to "a lesser extent" as the contributing factors are set to moderate, according to the committee. By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

EU delays retaliatory tariffs on US goods to mid-April

20/03/25

EU delays retaliatory tariffs on US goods to mid-April

Brussels, 20 March (Argus) — The EU has decided to delay its countermeasures to US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports until mid-April, allowing extra time for negotiations with Washington and consultation on which goods to include in its retaliatory levies, EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said today. The EU had planned to impose its tariffs in two phases, the first on 1 April and the second on 13 April, but it has now decided that both sets of measures will be brought in together on 13 April. The first round of EU tariffs is a reinstatement of levies that the bloc imposed during President Donald Trump's first term in office in 2018 and 2020 on goods "ranging ranging from boats to bourbon to motorbikes". The second round is a new package of additional measures to reflect the fact that Trump's tariffs this time around are broader in scope and affect a higher value of trade. The European Commission needs to review with stakeholders the list of US products to be included, Sefcovic said. "We are now considering to align the timing of the two sets of EU countermeasures so we can consult with member states on both lists simultaneously," he said. Sefcovic noted that a US trade investigation into copper and wood, including derivatives, could lead to additional tariffs against EU products and that the US is considering measures on shipbuilding that could have negative effects on EU maritime firms. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

TotalEnergies delays, cuts size of Grandpuits HVO

20/03/25

TotalEnergies delays, cuts size of Grandpuits HVO

Barcelona, 20 March (Argus) — TotalEnergies is delaying the start up of its Grandpuits hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) plant, and is planning to reduce the plant's proposed capacity. TotalEnergies confirmed the planned 400,000 t/yr HVO and HVO jet fuel (SAF) plant, near Paris, will not start in 2025 as previously outlined. Instead, a first phase of 210,000t of SAF output is slated to begin operations "early in 2026." TotalEnergies said there will then be a second phase of 75,000t, which will start at an unspecified point in 2027, giving 285,000 t/yr. If all production is SAF this would be equivalent to around 6,155 b/d. The CGT union said its members at Grandpuits downed tools for 24 hours yesterday, 19 March, as a result of the company's announcement. Workers say they have been promised a meeting with management in mid-April, and there does not appear to be industrial action at the site today. TotalEnergies halted crude distillation at the 93,000 b/d Grandpuits four years ago . The transformation includes a 10,000 t/yr plastics recycling unit. It said 1,200 workers are on site to undertake the conversion and this will result in 250 full time posts on completion. This is consistent with previous plans . The delay and reduction in size at Grandpuits does appear to confound targets for TotalEnergies' HVO and SAF output previously laid out by chief executive Patrick Pouyanne . The company operates a 500,000 t/yr HVO and SAF plant at La Mede, near the port of Fos-Lavera. A Grandpuits worker said management has indicated the company will look to purchase HVO and SAF, in order to honour contractual obligations. By Adam Porter Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia's Arafura secures new NdPr oxide offtake deal

20/03/25

Australia's Arafura secures new NdPr oxide offtake deal

Sydney, 20 March (Argus) — Australian producer Arafura Rare Earth will supply between 100-300 t/yr of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide to Dutch trader Traxys Europe, bringing the company closer to its offtake target of 3,552 t/yr. Arafura has agreed to supply at least 100 t/yr of NdPr oxide to Traxys for five years, but can choose to sell up to 300 t/yr of the material. The deal is priced in terms of NdPr ex-works China prices, the company said on 20 March. Arafura indicated that it planned to link offtake deals to equity agreements , it said in an investor call in January. But the offtake deal with Traxys does not appear to include an equity component. Arafura is currently developing the 4,400 t/yr Nolans project, a combined mine and NdPr refinery in Western Australia (WA). The company is aiming to secure offtake deals accounting for 80pc of the project's capacity. German manufacturer Siemens has already agreed to buy 520 t/yr of NdPr from Arafura, with South Korean firms Hyundai and Kia taking an additional 1,500 t/yr of the material. Arafura has committed to sell 2,320 t/yr of oxide from the Nolans project since 2023. Arafura is continuing to negotiate offtake agreements with Asian, European, and US consumers. Firms have expressed interest in buying up to 4,740 t/yr of NdPr oxide from the company, beyond the 2,320 t/yr already committed to customers and above Nolans' production capacity. The rare earth developer has received extensive government support on its Nolans project. Australia's federal Labor government agreed to invest A$200mn ($126mn) into the project in mid-January. It previously committed A$840mn to the project in March 2024. But Arafura is not alone. Australian officials have backed other rare earths projects over recent years, including Iluka Resources' Eneabba refinery in WA. Argus ' praseodymium-neodymium oxide min 99pc fob China price has been rising over the last three months. The price reached $61,850/t on 19 March, when it was last assessed, up from $54,500/t three months earlier. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more