ABS publishes new guide for ammonia-fueled vessels

As part of its efforts to support the adoption of ammonia as an alternative maritime fuel, the American Bureau of Shipping has published a new, comprehensive guide to ammonia-fueled vessels. You can download a pdf of the new guide here.

The guide sets out:

Classification design criteria for the arrangements, construction, installation and survey of machinery, equipment and systems for vessels operating with ammonia as fuel to minimize risks to the vessel, crew and the environment.

ABS Published Industry-Leading Guide to Ammonia-Fueled Vessels, 21 September 2021

The industry is looking at ammonia as one of the pathways towards the decarbonization goals for beyond 2030. It is a fuel with high potential as a solution for shipping companies looking to decarbonize their operations. It offers shipowners and operators a zero-carbon tank-to-wake emissions footprint but is not without challenges. As the industry begins to seriously evaluate ammonia-fueled operations, now is the right time for ABS to provide support and guidance to help navigate the risks and understand the safety requirements

Georgios Plevrakis, ABS Director, Global Sustainability in the official press release, 21 September 2021

Ammonia-ready notations galore in 2021

ABS joins DNV GL, the Korean Register, RINA and Bureau Veritas in publishing ammonia-ready notations, fuel guidelines & vessel guides this year.

• BV’s rule note NR671 was first reported at Ammonia Energy in May, with the (tentative) full text released in July.
• RINA’s rules for the use of ammonia as a fuel and “Ammonia Ready” vessel notations were released in May.
• DNV GL’s annual rules for the classification of ships was released in July, and for the first time included the use of ammonia as a fuel.
• And the Korean Register’s guidelines for using ammonia as a fuel were released in May.