Belgian developer to spend $3.5 billion on green hydrogen in Namibia, including huge ammonia complex in desert

Antwerp-based CMB.TECH plans to spend $3.5 billion developing green hydrogen projects in Namibia, including a huge green ammonia production complex in the Namib Desert along the country’s coast, according to a Bloomberg report.

The subsidiary of the shipping company Compagnie Maritime Belge intends to produce 250,000 tons of NH₃ near the mining town of Arandis, almost 100 km from the port of Walvis Bay, through its “PV2Fuel” project from the end of 2026.

The developer is currently building a $30 million integrated H.₂ production and refueling system at the port, which will begin operating at the end of this year.

This week, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges announced plans to jointly develop with the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) an extension to Walvis Bay, which would store and export ammonia, as well as supply the chemical as fuel for zero-emission ships.

CMB.TECH plans to supply NH to the port of Walvis Bay₃ for fuel delivery.

The company is also partnering with Namport and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges through Cleanergy, its joint venture with Namibian conglomerate O&L Group, to launch the first hydrogen-powered dual-fuel ship in Africa, which will be a port utility vessel multifunctional.

CMB.TECH announced earlier this year that it had ordered the world’s first ammonia-powered container ship in partnership with Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara and North Sea Container Line, expected to be delivered in mid-2026.

The developer also announced in December last year that it had developed the first hydrogen-powered tugboat that would soon begin operating for the port of Antwerp-Bruges.

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