Vessel news: bunker tankers, VLACs, pulp carriers & dual-fuel new builds

ClassNK & Partners: ammonia-fueled ammonia bunkering tanker

Classification society ClassNK, bunkering ship operator Consort Bunkers, engine developer Daihatsu Diesel, equipment & machinery dealer Daikai Engineering, and ship designer SeaTech Solutions International have signed an MoU for a joint study on the development of an ammonia-fueled ammonia bunkering tanker.

The five parties will collaborate to study the concept design of the tanker and work towards obtaining Approval in Principle (AiP). The MoU was signed at the Gastech2023 event in Singapore, witnessed by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

We have already conducted basic tests on ammonia, and have obtained knowledge on combustion characteristics, trends in exhaust gas emissions, precautions for handling, etc. Utilising this knowledge, we will join forces with MOU member companies and contribute to the cooperation in acquiring ammonia bunkering vessel AiP and the development of GHG reduction technology.

Yoichi Hayata, Director, Technical Management Division, Daihatsu Diesel, in ClassNK’s official press release, 8 September 2023

Joint studies such as the one under this MOU, are useful in bringing together the collective expertise and experience of various leading stakeholders to deepen the industry’s knowledge and confidence in handling the new future fuels, and to accelerate the development of future fuel solutions to meet the revised IMO GHG emission ambitions for international shipping.

Capt M Segar, Ast. Chief Executive (Operations), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, in ClassNK’s official press release, 8 September 2023

Capital Gas Ship Management orders two very large ammonia carriers

Also at Gastech2023, Capital Gas Ship Management announced its order of two 88,000 cbm, very-large ammonia carriers (VLACs) with KSOE. The vessels will be constructed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea and are scheduled for delivery by H2 2027.

Compared with conventional VLACs, the new vessels are designed to have increased ammonia loading capacity in the cargo tanks (up to 98% of cargo tank capacity).

At the signing ceremony, KSOE also signed contracts for an additional 88,000 cbm VLACs with Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS). Capital Gas and EPS have also reached an agreement to explore the possibility of the new vessels to be fitted with ammonia dual-fuel propulsion systems.

G2 Ocean adds two ammonia-ready vessels to its fleet

G2 Ocean has triggered its option of two ammonia-ready vessels to be delivered in 2026 by its minor shareholder, Grieg Maritime Group. The initial contract was signed in May this year when Grieg ordered two new build 82,300 dwt open hatch vessels, with an option of an additional two, to be built by the shipyard CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Longxue in China. The vessels will be ideal for G2 Ocean’s oceanborne pulp trade business.

The new vessels will have dual-fuel engines, 120 tonnes electric crane capacity, tween decks and battery peak-shaving capacity. They “will be the largest, most environmentally friendly, and technologically advanced carriers in the G2 Ocean fleet.” The four vessels are scheduled for delivery to G2 Ocean in 2026.

With this expansion, G2 Ocean is increasing its carrying capacity and further demonstrating its commitment to providing flexible and sustainable shipping solutions to our customers.

The design and size of the vessels make them very flexible, allowing us to meet the requirements of our customers worldwide. With this delivery, we are also able to take another important step on our decarbonisation journey and our target of becoming net-zero by 2050.

Arthur English, G2 Ocean CEO, in his organisation’s official press release, 11 September 2023

WinGD collaborates with KSS Line for ammonia-fuelled gas carriers

Less than a month after announcing a similar partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries, WinGD has signed an MoU with KSS Line to explore X-DF-A engines for newbuild projects. The project will focus on 52cm- and 62cm-bore versions of the engines, suitable for midsize and very large gas carriers (VLGC).

The partnership will also focus on performance and maintenance necessary for using alternative fuel. The parties plan to deploy WinGD’s Integrated Digital Expert (WiDE) tool to obtain insight on engine performance, enabling fuel efficiency fine-tuning and continuous live support from engine experts.

Also part of the agreement, WinGD will deliver crew training for new engines. The company is building experience in crew training for ammonia engine operations. In June this year, WinGD agreed to develop a training syllabus for AET Tankers and maritime academy Akademi Laut Malaysia.

The X-DF-A engine will operate on a high-pressure Diesel-cycle combustion process, with liquid ammonia fuel injection supported with a low amount of pilot fuel. Later this year, WinGD will commence validation of its ammonia-fuelled engine concept on single and multi-cylinder test engines, in Winterthur (Switzerland) and Shanghai. This week, WinGD received AiP from Lloyd’s Register for the X-DF-A range – the first ever AiP granted to ammonia dual-fuel engines.

Ammonia as fuel is an interesting prospect for gas carrier vessels that already carry ammonia as cargo. The combination of our rigorously tested new engine design, training support and real-time optimisation via WiDE will mean that KSS Line can be confident that early experience with ammonia-fuelled vessels will be translated into safe and reliable operation in the long-term.

Volkmar Galke, Director Sales, WinGD, in his organisation’s official press release, 20 September 2023

KSS Line aims to decarbonise its fleet rapidly and has already made significant investments in smart ships, LPG-fuelled and methanol-fuelled technology. Exploring ammonia as a fuel is the next step. The project with WinGD gives us the technical support we will need to successfully apply this new fuel type to our forthcoming newbuilds.

Chando Park, CEO, KSS Line, in WinGD’s official press release, 20 September 2023