BHP’s Rashpal Bhatti has again been named in this year’s edition of Lloyd’s List’s One Hundred People, an annual assessment of the most influential people in the global shipping industry.

Rashpal, who recently took on the role of Group Procurement Officer after nine years as Vice President of Maritime and Supply Chain Excellence, was ranked 50th in the top 100 list. This is up from 69th last year, and the third consecutive year he has been named in the list, in addition to 2017.

In an article highlighting Rashpal’s achievements, Lloyd’s List noted that he has bookmarked his tenure with the BHP Maritime team with multiple industry- and world-first decarbonisation initiatives, creating a strong leadership narrative for BHP Maritime across the industry and among our peers.

One of the most recent in this list is BHP’s expression-of-interest for an ammonia value chain for the maritime industry, launched in 2023 to assess – for what we believe is the very first time in the world – the use of ammonia as a “low to zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions”[1] fuel for maritime. In line with BHP’s decarbonisation targets, goals and commitments, the intent is usage of low to zero GHG emission ammonia as a marine fuel within this decade, starting with an iron ore Green Corridor[2] for our well-established iron ore trade route between Western Australia and China.

“We are confident that low to zero greenhouse gas emissions ammonia will play a very significant role in the decarbonisation of the shipping industry. We have no doubt that other charterers and organisations would look to ammonia as a strong step towards net zero.” Rashpal told the publication.

As one of the world’s largest dry bulk charterers, BHP moved about 300 million tonnes of iron ore, coal and copper over some 1,500 voyages in FY2024.

Decarbonisation is a key pillar of the Maritime team’s strategy, in line with BHP’s commitment to become a more sustainable and resilient business, with a long-term Scope 3 emissions target to achieve net zero by 2050 for the GHG emissions from all shipping of BHP products[3].

Earlier, in July 2024, together with our partners Pan Pacific Copper and Norsepower, we completed the retrofit installation of a rotor sail onboard the M/V Koryu, leveraging wind-assisted propulsion technology to reduce GHG emissions, when wind conditions are favourable, from maritime transportation between Chile and Japan.

This followed the world’s first launch in 2022 of the first of what is now five dual-fuelled liquefied natural gas (LNG) Newcastlemax vessels within our time-chartered fleet and earlier, the first marine biofuel trial on an ocean-going vessel in Singapore in 2021.  

[1] Low to zero GHG emissions (for shipping) means capable of between 81 per cent to 100 per cent lower GHG emissions intensity (gCO2-e/joule) on a well-to-wake basis compared to conventional fossil fuels used in shipping. Well-to-wake means inclusive of the GHG emissions across the entire process of fuel production, delivery and use onboard vessels.

[2] A Green Corridor is a specific shipping route where the economics, infrastructure, and logistics of low to zero GHG emissions shipping are more feasible and rapid deployment can be supported by targeted policy and industry action. 

[3] Subject to the widespread availability of carbon neutral solutions to meet our requirements, including low to zero GHG emission technologies, fuels, goods and services.