Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) announced that it has completed test operations on its low-speed, 2-stroke engine, with installation and subsequent trial operations due to begin in April 2025. Installation will be onboard one of the first ammonia-fueled vessels to hit the water: the NYK-led midsized gas carrier project.
During the recent 2024 Ammonia Energy Conference, we explored all the latest developments in ammonia-powered maritime propulsion. Engine makers reported strong progress ahead of deployment in 2026, the same year that large-scale vessels will hit the water. The panel explored early operations for the ammonia-powered A-Tug in Japan, as well as ancillary technology systems required for maritime ammonia engines, catalyst after-treatment systems for emission mitigation, and the potential for fuel additives to boost ammonia engine performance.
Idemitsu and Mitsubishi Corporation are developing ammonia handling terminals in Japan to meet the production capacity of overseas projects, such as the million-ton-per-year Baytown project led by Exxon.
Ammonia energy giants JERA and Lotte will develop a low-carbon ammonia value chain between Japan and Korea, working alongside the governments of both countries.
ADNOC will acquire a 35% equity stake in the Baytown mega-project, which is targeting the production of 900,000 tons of CCS-based hydrogen per year. Mitsubishi and project lead Exxon will continue negotiations towards a formal offtake and equity agreement.
The biennial SMM event in Hamburg featured a number of ammonia announcements from across the entire fuel value chain, including deployment timelines for MAN’s two-stroke engines, high-pressure fuel pumps, bunker and container ship designs, and technology integration partnerships.
NYK has announced that the tugboat Sakigake has been completed, and will enter three months of commercial trials in Yokohama harbor and Tokyo Bay. Thanks to retrofits, Japan’s first LNG-fueled vessel has now become Japan’s first ammonia-fueled vessel.
An NYK-led consortium has been granted engine room safety accreditation by ClassNK for its ammonia-fueled, medium gas carrier design. The vessel is due to hit the water in 2026. Starting later this decade, NYK has also committed to transport renewable ammonia from Sembcorp’s under-development production project in India to Kyushu, Japan.
