Fortescue takes Green Pioneer to New York

The Fortescue Green Pioneer has sailed into New York for Climate Week NYC, the world’s largest annual climate event.

The 75m dual fuel ammonia-powered vessel is docked on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, marking the latest stop on its 2025 global tour to accelerate the adoption of green ammonia as a marine fuel.

The Green Pioneer recently completed operations at the Port of Boston, where the Fortescue team worked closely with the US Coast Guard to secure approval for ammonia bunkering. This was successfully executed at the Boston anchorage and set an important precedent for US port readiness and preparation for ammonia-fuelled vessels.

Following this milestone, further ammonia trials and research were carried out more than 12 nautical miles offshore – beyond the Port’s jurisdiction – demonstrating and validating the vessel’s systems and operating protocols under real-world ocean conditions.

Climate Week NYC brings together thousands of leaders from business, government and civil society alongside the United Nations General Assembly. It has become one of the focal points for global climate dialogue, showcasing bold action and practical solutions for a future no longer reliant on fossil fuels.

The Green Pioneer’s arrival comes at a pivotal moment for the shipping industry, with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) scheduled to adopt new emissions reduction regulations in October.

Fortescue has been an active voice in shaping the debate, advocating for strong policy measures to drive real emissions cuts.

The Company is now going further, advancing shipping technologies to help decarbonise global trade.

Fortescue strongly supports the IMO’s proposed Net-zero Framework, due for adoption in 2025 and expected to come into force around 2027. Key measures include:

• A global greenhouse gas pricing mechanism to put a cost on carbon.
• A fuel standard requiring ships to progressively lower their greenhouse gas intensity.
• Support for an equitable transition, particularly for developing countries.

The push for reform comes amid significant geopolitical tension. Earlier this month the US reportedly put IMO member countries on notice that they should reject the IMO’s draft package of shipping rules, otherwise the US would retaliate and “explore remedies” for its citizens. A US State Department spokesman has said that these remedies may include tariffs, visa restrictions and port levies.

The US argued the IMO’s proposed measures would overburden shipping while doing little to cut emissions. 

“Fortescue has brought the Green Pioneer to New York to send a clear message: the technology to help decarbonise shipping exists today,” Fortescue Executive Chairman and Founder, Dr Andrew Forrest AO, said.

“While world leaders gather for Climate Week and the UN General Assembly, we will be on the East River showing that green ammonia is not a theory but a fuel that can help power the world’s ships while reducing carbon emissions.

"America has a golden opportunity to lead the green energy revolution – to attract investment, create thousands of new jobs and set the global standard.

"China is already moving at pace, and if I were the United States I wouldn’t leave it to one of my fiercest competitors to shape the future of this industry. As a close ally, I want to see the United States seize this moment, because it has everything to gain and nothing to lose by stepping up as a leader.

“Threatening the world with tariffs and sanctions to block climate action is economic bullying dressed up as policy. History will record it as reckless self-interest that endangered our children’s future. Shipping accounts for nearly 3 per cent of global emissions and without the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, those emissions will soar.

“The IMO must hold its nerve and adopt the Net-Zero Framework without delay. Any retreat will be a retreat from science, from responsibility, and from the chance to give our children a liveable future. Industry is ready – what we need now is political courage.” 

The Green Pioneer left Singapore in January to travel to the UK, where it completed a groundbreaking demonstration of ammonia fuel usage in the Port of Southampton – a first for the UK and Europe – before spending several weeks in London. 

In May it completed an historic international voyage from the Netherlands to the south of France powered in part by ammonia, before attending the UN Ocean Conference in France in June.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Vision of the Fortescue Green Pioneer arriving in New York is available here.

Still images of its arrival in New York are available here and here.

Still images of it docked in New York are available here.