Ammonia bulk carriers: momentum in Norway

Amon Marine unveils new venture into the bulk carrier market

Click to enlarge. Ammon Marine will develop two ammonia-powered vessels, marking its first entry into the bulk carriers market. Source: Amon Maritime.

One year after its entry into the gas carrier market, Amon Marine has announced the creation of Amon Bulk, a new venture marking its expansion into bulk carriers. Thanks to funding by Enova, the Norwegian government entity responsible for supporting energy and climate investments, the company has been awarded NOK 253 million to develop two ammonia powered vessels.

From its latest award round, Enova will support four hydrogen-powered and two ammonia-powered ships (Amon’s bulk carriers), with funding allocations of about NOK 510 million to hydrogen projects and NOK 253 million to ammonia projects, respectively.

To further its support for ammonia-powered shipping, Enova is launching a new scheme to work towards setting up the first bunkering infrastructure to promote its adoption along the Norwegian coast. According to its press release, this autumn, Enova will present a roadmap for hydrogen and ammonia in shipping.

With Amon Bulk, we are taking a significant step toward decarbonizing bulk trades in deep-sea shipping with ammonia fuel. The Capesize and Kamsarmax segments are ideal for ammonia adoption. These vessels have high fuel consumption and operate on established routes for industrial clients with strong climate ambitions. This combination enables both substantial environmental impact and solid commercial viability.

André Risholm, CEO of Amon Maritime, in his organisation’s official press release, 30 June 2025

Norway will be at the forefront of the transition at sea. When we support the development of such projects in the maritime sector, we enable them to take the lead in implementing new solutions globally. It provides both lower emissions and new opportunities for Norwegian business, while also securing future jobs.

Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, in Enova’s official  press release, 30 June 2025

We see that there is great interest in hydrogen and ammonia, and that the number of applications is good. At the same time, we must acknowledge that this is demanding and it will take time. There are many pieces that need to fall into place.

Rune Holmen, head of maritime transport at Enova, in his organisation’s official press release, 30 June 2025

Færder Tankers & partners: Approval in Principle for new ammonia bunkering vessel design

Also in Norway, Færder Tankers has announced that their 50,000 cubic meters capacity dual fuel ammonia Medium Gas Carrier (MGC) and bunkering vessel, “The Workhorse”, has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

The vessel design has been developed in partnership with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and technical input from ship designer SDARI. The vessel will include features such as a retractable azimuth thruster forward, tunnel thruster in the stern and pitch propeller on the main engine. These features will give the vessel the required “manoeuvrability” for safe station keeping and ship-to-ship operations, and ability to adapt to ammonia bunkering.

The vessel also features three IMO Type A independent liquid cargo tanks and will use low carbon ammonia to power the main engine and a shaft generator. The main engine will also be capable of running on LPG, VLSFO and Marine Gas Oil. The design integrates liquid ammonia transportation and bunkering functions and is suitable for transporting liquefied gas goods such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquid ammonia over long distances.