The regulations send a clear signal to industry – business as usual operations will become significantly more expensive, and zero or near-zero (ZNZ) technologies and fuels represent one of the better opportunities to make deep emissions cuts. Following the historic vote at the IMO, we explore critical timelines for the new regulations, compliance thresholds, mechanisms for vessels to comply, and uncertainties that remain.
2025 is a critical year for the adoption of ammonia fuel in shipping. Here, we preview important upcoming meetings of the International Maritime Organization, what regulatory gaps are being filled by this work, potential candidates for decarbonization measures, and progress in engine development. All this sets the scene for incredible progress to be made in the coming years.
Already in 2025, we have seen multiple initiatives launched and resources released to contribute to seafarer training ahead of the first ammonia-fueled vessels. Here, we explore the IMO’s first training guidelines, a new bunker training facility in India, and a safe procedures manual for ammonia bunkering developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
The IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee has approved interim guidelines for the use of ammonia fuel onboard vessels. Ship owners will also be able to voluntarily adopt code changes allowing the use of ammonia cargo as fuel, ahead of their entry into force next July. To unpack the new guidelines, the AEA will host the IMO and Lloyd’s Register at a public webinar in January.
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has released results from a new survey of over 2,000 workers across the maritime community. While a majority of workers indicate their willingness to sail on ammonia-fueled vessels, this support is contingent upon comprehensive training that addresses all concerns and operational aspects of working with ammonia. Live training, operational experience and proactive communication will all be required to increase confidence in the new fuel.
The American Bureau of Shipping has awarded AiP to a new ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge design. The bunker barge will be compatible with several ammonia-powered vessels under development, and will begin commercial operations on the US east coast by 2030.
The FuelEU Maritime Regulation is set to launch on August 31, requiring companies to submit monitoring plans ahead of its full implementation in January 2025. With modest initial targets and sophisticated compliance mechanisms like banking, borrowing, and pooling, the scheme offers flexibility while driving innovation in sustainable maritime technologies. The scheme also offers extra incentives for companies to proactively embrace Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBOs), before mandates enter into force next decade.
Several ammonia-centric vessel designs were granted AiP at the recent Posidonia shipping exhibition in Greece. Lloyd’s Register approved designs including the world’s largest Very Large Ammonia Carrier, a container vessel and a gas carrier propelled by Amogy’s ammonia-to-power technology, a NOX-compliant container vessel featuring a MAN ammonia engine, and an ammonia-powered Very Large Ore Carrier. Lloyd’s Register also recently approved H2SITE’s onboard ammonia cracking technology.
For our final episode of Maritime Ammonia Insights, we asked our resident experts Sofia and Conor Fürstenberg Stott to provide their insights on the pathway forward for marine ammonia fuel. Discussion topics included challenges for overlaying alternative fuels onto the existing bunker industry, the importance of seafarers to the transition, and why we need to move beyond talking about competition between alternative fuel candidates.
In our latest episode of Maritime Ammonia Insights, Matt Dunlop (MMMZCS) and Samie Parkar (Lloyd’s Register’s) stepped us through key outcomes of a new, comprehensive safety study for ammonia-fuelled shipping. Combining Quantitative Risk Analysis with Human Factors analysis, a series of risk mitigation & worker training recommendations provides a path forward for the safe operations of ammonia-fuelled vessels.
Hear from the authors of a new joint study into ammonia safety onboard ships. The study is the most comprehensive to-date on the effectiveness of risk mitigation measures applied to ammonia-fueled vessels, pairing Quantitative Risk Assessment with an analysis of human factors.
Seaspan and partners will look towards commercialisation for their large-scale, ammonia-powered container vessel design. Korea Maritime Consultants has been granted AiP for a small-sized container vessel concept for small-scale applications, and the Blaavinge consortium aims to develop their ammonia-powered offshore wind service vessel in time for use in the Utsira Nord project in Norway.
A joint study into ammonia safety onboard three different vessel types has found that safety risks of ammonia fuel can be mitigated, but only if technical safeguards are implemented and key “human factors” are addressed. The new report sets out a series of recommendations to ensure acceptable risk levels for crew on-board ammonia-fueled vessels.
Norwegian technology developer Pherousa announced that it has developed & validated an ammonia cracking-based propulsion system, with plans to order six Ultramax vessels fitted with the technology. Grieg Maritime has ordered up to four ammonia-ready bulk carriers from China State Shipbuilding Corporation for delivery in 2026. And a new container ship design has been unveiled by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMCZCS), RMI, Danish Shipping, and Maersk Oil Trading have released two publications outlining their new Maritime Book & Claim system, which will undergo a pilot later this year. Under the system, ships will be able to ‘book’ emissions associated with individual voyages, which consumers can then ‘claim’. The system seeks to accelerate decarbonisation by empowering green shipping services to find customers offering green premiums, regardless of geographical constraints.
A recent survey reveals how shipping industry leaders see the maritime fuel transition progressing. With conventional ship engines set to remain the preferred technology until at least 2050, almost all the survey respondents saw their fleets running on a mix of fuels by that date. Although methanol & ammonia are likely to be adopted at scale, respondents do not currently see any of the new fuels emerging as an industry standard, with key choices ahead for shipping companies, fuel producers, bunker providers and industry regulators.
A high-profile consortium will conduct a joint study exploring ammonia bunkering at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, USA. The consortium aims to establish a comprehensive supply chain to allow ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering in Savannah, and the study scope includes design of an Ammonia Bunkering Articulated Tug-Barge (AB-ATB) vessel.
The second phase of the NoGAPS project is well underway. Led by the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, a detailed plan for the design, operation and business case for the future MS NoGAPS vessel will be developed. Construction and delivery is expected in 2024-25. Also in Scandinavia, Viridis Bulk Carriers has been awarded AiP from Bureau Veritas for its ammonia-fueled, short-sea, bulk carrier design.
Technology solutions to manage emissions from ammonia-powered internal combustion engines will be commercially available on a similar timeline to the engines themselves, a new report from the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center concludes. Although the authors are confident ammonia combustion emissions (including the potent greenhouse molecule N2O) will be successfully minimised, key gaps include a lack of industry-wide emissions thresholds and a poor understanding of the well-to-tank emissions of ammonia fuel, particularly CCS-based ammonia.
COP27 saw an exciting number of green shipping corridor announcements. But the question remains: how do we actually build them? Earlier this year, the Maersk McKinney Møller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping launched a Feasibility Phase Blueprint, setting out some key assessment criteria to consider. At the recent annual AEA conference in Phoenix, we took a group of sixty participants through the criteria, asking how and where the ammonia sector should engage.
The US and Norway launched the Green Shipping Challenge in Sharm el-Sheikh this month. The Challenge encompasses more than forty different announcements & initiatives, including ammonia fuel production in Namibia, ammonia-powered cargo shipping in Finland, ammonia-powered pilot vessels in Norway's Green Shipping Programme, and a host of new green corridor projects. A trio of new reports have also provided an assessment of progress to date in green corridor development, and suggested key next steps.
Since the Clydebank Declaration was signed last December, the prospect of ammonia-fueled, green maritime corridors has been steadily rising. The Global Maritime Forum has just released a valuable discussion paper on potential definitions and approaches for green corridors. Recent announcements in Europe, Singapore, Australia and the Nordic countries demonstrate growing momentum. For maritime stakeholders to capture early learnings and best manage the complex task of alternative maritime fuel scale-up, the opportune time is right now.
ABS has granted Approval in Principle to Keppel Offshore & Marine for an ammonia-fueled, ammonia bunkering vessel. The new vessel is a key component of Project Sabre: a high-profile consortium of maritime organisations aiming to commence ammonia bunkering in Singapore by 2030.
Eastern Pacific Shipping will lead development of an ammonia-powered, dual-fuel gas tanker. The carrier will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, registered under the Singapore national flag, classed by ABS, and will be the first vessel fitted with MAN Energy Solutions’ G60 two-stroke dual-fuel ammonia engine. As EPS steadily scales up its engagement with maritime ammonia, another high-profile consortium is accelerating a bunkering study in Singapore.
In three green maritime corridor announcements this week:
In the few short weeks since we explored the concept & implementation of “Green Maritime Corridors” at Ammonia Energy, we’ve seen a flurry of significant players express their interest in the space. Here we explore announcements from the Castor Initiative, the European Green Corridors Network, and the news that Singapore will become a signatory to the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors.
Two maritime ammonia heavyweights - the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center - have signed a long-term agreement to accelerate the maritime industry’s decarbonisation efforts. The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation is currently overseeing a comprehensive ammonia bunkering study that will enable ammonia bunkering trials to proceed at two Singapore locations to start in 2023.
This week: a roadmap for ammonia-fueled gas turbines in Asia, ammonia solutions in Iceland, IMO sets new decarbonisation milestone, new ammonia-powered vessels planned, maritime study developments, Australian updates (Fortescue, AREH and Itochu in Gladstone), Fertiglobe joins Abu Dhabi blue ammonia project and Statkraft's Porsgrunn plans.
Welcome to the Ammonia Wrap: a summary of all the latest announcements, news items and publications about ammonia energy. This week: the World Bank sees hydrogen and ammonia as key to decarbonising shipping, a new coalition for safe ammonia bunkering, Trafigura co-sponsors MAN's development of ammonia-fueled maritime engines, cracking plant a feature of the new Wilhelmshaven hydrogen hub, RWE and H2U to develop global hydrogen trading between Australia and Germany, Province Resources' West Australian mega-project grows to 8GW and South Africa's Hydrogen Society Roadmap a step closer.
Two recent announcements show Singapore emerging as a center for development of ammonia as a maritime fuel. In both cases, multi-party coalitions, with Singaporean connections, are focusing on ground-breaking work.
Welcome to the Ammonia Wrap: a summary of all the latest announcements, news items and publications about ammonia energy. This week: commercialised ammonia gas turbines, TDK and GenCell join forces, another GW of green ammonia production, small-scale green ammonia in rural Japan, hydroelectric ammonia in Laos, Viking Energy vessel updates, new partnerships for Haldor Topsoe and "any-fuel" high-temp PEM fuel cells.
Welcome to the Ammonia Wrap: a summary of all the latest announcements, news items and publications about ammonia energy. In this week's wrap: HyDeal Ambition, new marine tankers, fuel forecasts & SOFC developments, a new technical briefing on power generation, UNSW leads research in P2X, GWs of green ammonia in Denmark, Norway and Chile, green ammonia in the Orkneys, new government focus on ammonia in South Africa, and India to make green ammonia production mandatory?
What action is needed to unlock the enormous potential of green ammonia as a marine fuel and get the new generation of ammonia-powered vessels on the water? On November 18, 2020, the Ammonia Energy Association (AEA) hosted a panel discussion moderated by Sofia Fürstenberg Stott from Fürstenberg Maritime Advisory, as well as panel members Tue Johannessen from the Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Katharine Palmer from Lloyd’s Register, Rob Stevens from Yara International, and Kazumasa Taruishi from NYK Energy Transport.
This morning, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping was announced. Launched with a “start-up donation” of DKK 400 million (USD 60 million) from the A.P. Møller Foundation, this new research institute intends “to develop new fuel types and technologies,” to decarbonize the maritime sector. Behind the Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is a significant industrial consortium with seven founding members (actively seeking additional partners): ABS, A.P. Moller – Maersk, Cargill, MAN Energy Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NYK Lines, and Siemens Energy.