Adnoc sells first shipment of blue ammonia to Japan's Itochu

Adnoc sold its first shipment of blue ammonia, which was produced in partnership with Fertiglobe, to Japanese trading house Itochu for use in fertiliser production.

The sale comes after Adnoc’s preliminary agreement in July with Japanese companies to explore the commercial production of blue ammonia in the UAE.

Blue ammonia is a more easily transportable fuel source made from blue hydrogen, a by-product of carbon dioxide that has been captured and stored.

The blue aspect refers to hydrogen derived from natural gas feedstocks.

The sale of blue ammonia for fertiliser purposes is part of the UAE's "expanding position" in the production of hydrogen and its carrier fuels, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc.

"Through the expansion of our capabilities across the blue ammonia value chain, we look forward to furthering our legacy as one of the world’s least carbon-intensive hydrocarbon producers and supporting industrial decarbonisation with a competitive low-carbon product portfolio," he said.

Fertiglobe, a joint venture between Adnoc and OCI, is developing a large blue ammonia plant in the UAE’s downstream centre in Ruwais. The plant will have a production capacity of 1,000 kilotonnes a year.

The shipments to Itochu were "were sold at an attractive premium to grey ammonia", Adnoc said. The pricing underscores favourable economics for blue ammonia as a low-carbon alternative to conventional ammonia.

The cargo to Japan came from the planned scale-up of blue ammonia manufacturing capabilities in Abu Dhabi, which is also expected to include a low-cost "debottlenecking" programme.

"As a result of decarbonising the feedstock supply, we can materially reduce the carbon intensity of our downstream customers along the value chain and across a wide range of industries," said Nassef Sawiris, executive chairman of OCI and chief executive of Fertiglobe.

The UAE is drawing up a comprehensive road map to position itself as an exporter of hydrogen and tap into the clean fuel’s potential.

Globally, the size of the hydrogen industry is expected to hit $183 billion by 2023, up from $129bn in 2017, according to Fitch Solutions.

French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300bn by 2030.

Adnoc, Mubadala and ADQ are part of an alliance to develop a hydrogen economy in the UAE. Adnoc already produces 300,000 tonnes of hydrogen on an annual basis for its downstream operations and plans to increase its output significantly.

The company plans to expand its capacity to manufacture the clean gas to more than 500,000 tonnes.

Important questions to consider

1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?

There are different types of travel available for pets:

Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin

Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.

2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?

If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.

If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.

3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?

As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.

If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.

If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.

4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?

This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.

In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.

5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?

Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.

Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.

Source: Pawsome Pets UAE