Enova funding for maritime ammonia: Amon Gas and Höegh Autoliners

Norwegian government funding agency Enova has announced a new round of funding for hydrogen and ammonia-powered marine vessels (Norwegian language). The funding also goes towards the establishment of functioning value chains in Norway for hydrogen and ammonia fuel.

Amon Maritime launches new, ammonia-powered venture

With the help of Enova funding, Amon will launch a new subsidiary: Amon Gas. The new entity has confirmed orders for two ammonia-powered, mid-sized gas carriers (MGCs), scheduled to be in operation by 2028. The vessels will be built to use ammonia fuel for both propulsion and on-board power consumption. MGCs currently carry LPG and ammonia as cargoes (amongst other commodities), making them an ideal vessel to run on ammonia fuel.

Ammonia is primarily transported on MGCs today. If the ship transports ammonia, the “chicken-and-egg” dilemma of making bunkering available is avoided – the substance is already on board as cargo. Because the ship is already designed for transporting ammonia, the relative additional cost in this segment compared to conventional ships will be less than in most other segments.

Amon Maritime CTO, Steinar Kostøl in his organisation’s official press release, 21 June 2024

Höegh Autoliners

Meanwhile, Enova funding will help Höegh Autoliners ensure that its ammonia-powered, Aurora Class car carriers can run fully on ammonia fuel from the moment of delivery. A total of 12 Aurora Class vessels is on order, and once MAN’s 2-stroke ammonia main engines are made available in 2026, the last four will be built as ammonia-powered newbuilds and delivered in 2027. The other eight will be converted from LNG fuel, with the first of the “conventional” newbuilds due for delivery this August.

At Höegh Autoliners, we take leadership by actively collaborating with a wide range of highly qualified and dedicated suppliers to make clean ammonia viable as a zero-emission shipping fuel. We believe it is important for shipping companies to send a clear signal to the rest of the value chain that the technology can be realized in a short time and that there will be demand for carbon-neutral fuel. Almost all Höegh Autoliners vessels sail under the Norwegian flag and have significant Norwegian content from the Norwegian cluster. The support from Enova, together with our innovative multi-fuel vessel design, significantly helps derisking the choice of bringing the first zero-carbon vessels to our industry.

CEO of Höegh Autoliners, Andreas Enger in his organisation’s official press release, 19 June 2024