Japan Engine Corporation

We explore recent, full-scale, dual-fuel engine testing results from leading maritime vendors such as MAN Energy Solutions and WinGD. Testing indicates negligible emissions of the potent GHG N₂O (which can be fully eliminated with catalytic treatment), and significantly lower NO_X emissions for engines running in ammonia mode, compared to running on fuel oil or diesel. Overall, compliance with IMO Tier II and III emission limits is well within reach for the first generation of ammonia-fueled maritime engines.

An NYK-led consortium, which includes Japan Engine Corporation, IHI Power Systems and Nihon Shipyard, has announced that a construction contract has been signed with Japan Marine United to build its 40,000 m³ ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) in Ariake. The vessel is due to be delivered in November 2026.

Successful testing has been completed at IHI’s facilities in Ota, Japan. A four-stroke marine engine - fully integrated with exhaust gas aftertreatment and fuel supply systems - produced stable operations running on up to 80% ammonia fuel. Emissions of dinitrogen monoxide (N₂O) and ammonia slip were reported as “virtually zero”.

ANNUAL REVIEW 2019: The maritime industry is learning about ammonia fast. It is searching for a new bunker fuel, and ammonia is one of the few options that can realistically deliver a 50% reduction in the sector's GHG emissions by 2050. The IMO declared this target in April 2018 and, in last year's Annual Review, I wrote about all the reports that were published demonstrating that ammonia could deliver this outcome. In the last 12 months, by contrast, we have moved quickly beyond analysis and into engineering design, technology testing, and product development.