Andrew Forrest’s ammonia powered ship arrives for King Charles’ sustainable markets initiative

Matt Damon and John Kerry have arrived in London for King Charles’ eco-summit, but the star was Andrew Forrest’s Green Pioneer, a ship that runs on ammonia.

Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Green Pioneer ship docks at Canary Wharf in London on Sunday to showcase its conversion to run on ammonia. Picture: supplied

Andrew Forrest’s green flagship, the Fortescue Green Pioneer, has arrived in central London after passing the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s full compliance requirements.

The attention-grabbing ship moored at the West India Dock in London’s docklands on the weekend to show off its ammonia-powered technology and capabilities ahead of King Charles’ five-year anniversary summit of his Sustainable Markets Initiative to be held at King Henry VIII’s famous castle, Hampton Court Palace, on Monday.

Dr Forrest, Fortescue’s chairman, said the ship “embodies the innovative spirit, courage and leadership that is taking Fortescue to real zero carbon emissions by 2030” and called on the international maritime organisation to adopt the same attributes to fast-track shipping’s transition to green fuels.

“This will not only deliver a better future for the planet but accelerate a reduction in shipping costs through the widespread adoption and scaling of renewable energy,’’ said Dr Forrest, one of the global chief executives who form part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative.

“There is no time to waste on so-called transitional fuels that will only serve to slow our progress towards a world no longer reliant on fossil fuels.”

Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Green Pioneer at Canary Wharf in London. He has made it a mission to eliminate fossil fuels from Fortescue. Picture: supplied

Cargo ships are one of the world’s bigger polluters, responsible for 3 per cent of global emissions.

Dr Forrest has made it a mission to eliminate fossil fuels from Fortescue with a target to achieve real zero terrestrial emissions by 2030, without carbon offsets.

He said shipping remained a major challenge, as Fortescue vessels contributed more than three million tonnes of carbon emissions in 2023, including 9 per cent from its own fleet and 91 per cent from contractors.

The Green Pioneer, a 75m vessel, has been mainly docked at the Seatrium Shipyard’s Benoi facility in Singapore during the past few years as two of four engines were converted to run on an ammonia and diesel mix.

Last March there was a successful ammonia fuel transfer and the ship used the ammonia for marine propulsion.

On Sunday the ship hosted a gathering of CEOs and guests before the summit on the Sustainable Markets Initiate, also known as the Terra Carta, got under way.

With the theme of Planet, Profit, and Progress, issues such as decarbonisation, biodiversity, climate technology, and the future of energy are to be discussed with 200 chief executives and eco-champions such as the former US secretary of state John Kerry, actor and founder of Water.org Matt Damon, and the founder of the Oppenheimer Project, Charles Oppenheimer.

The Terra Carta is intended to mobilise trillions of dollars in private-public partnerships to accelerate global efforts in green technology by 2030.

King Charles said at the launch of the Terra Carta five years ago that it was to form the basis of a recovery plan “that puts nature, people and planet at the heart of global value creation – one that will harness the precious, irreplaceable power of nature combined with the transformative innovation and resources of the private sector”.