Sojitz and Kyushu Electric will offtake the full volume of ammonia production from the first phase of Sembcorp’s under-development production project in India, with the intention to supply various industrial customers in the Kyushu region of Japan. In more term sheet news, Avaada will supply renewable ammonia to Mysore, a distributor of ammonia to Indian customers.
Eastern Pacific Shipping’s on-order very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) will be registered in Singapore, thanks to a new partnership with the Maritime and Port Authority. Trafigura has announced the first of its ammonia-fueled, medium gas carriers will be delivered from South Korea in 2027. In Japan, K LINE and MAN are leading a 5-party collaboration to develop ammonia fueled-engines and deploy them in 200,000 dwt bulk carriers. We also explore ammonia-fueled Aframaxes in Malaysia, a concept study for a large-volume, coastal ammonia carrier in Japan, and a new salmon fishing vessel design in Norway.
Multiple ammonia import bases are under development in Asia. In Singapore, Vopak and Air Liquide will explore new infrastructure on Jurong Island. In South Korea, Ulsan Port Authority and NGO Pacific Environment will cooperate to accelerate the transition of Ulsan into an “eco-friendly” port. And in Japan, IHI will lead two study consortia exploring new supply and distribution hubs in Hokkaido and Fukushima.
Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore has announced new initiatives and a host of updates on ongoing maritime ammonia projects. Headlines include: green & digital shipping corridors to Rotterdam and Australia, an RFI for ammonia transport from select global locations that will fuel power generation and bunker demonstrations on Jurong Island, and a new training facility for seafarers. Also during the event, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez visited the moored Fortescue Green Pioneer.
Fortescue Future Industries, Maritime and Port Authority Singapore and a host of supporting organisations announced a world-first marine trial in Singapore harbor last week. The vessel sailed on ammonia and diesel dual-fuel in harbor waters, after being loaded with liquid ammonia fuel at Vopak’s Banyan Terminal on Jurong Island. Two years of vessel development and months of safety and training exercises led up to the trial. MPA and Fortescue report that post-combustion NOx levels from the vessel met local air quality standards for Singapore, with further emissions treatment measures to be applied.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and six Japanese ports will establish a “Green and Digital Shipping Corridor” between the two countries. The partners will embark on pilot projects and trials for alternative maritime fuels including ammonia, and work together to develop the necessary bunkering infrastructure, regulatory & training standards.
Following a successful engine retrofit, FFI’s dual fuel vessel debuted at COP28 this month. Unable to run on or carry ammonia fuel due to restrictions from local authorities, FFI Chairman Andrew Forrest called for the world’s ports to catch-up to technological progress and update their regulations. FFI will also be a key part of the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub (one of seven hubs awarded funding by the US DoE), and has added to its vertical integration capabilities with the opening of a new technical innovation centre in the UK.
Sembcorp, IHI and GE will explore potential retrofits to existing gas turbines at the Sakra power plant to run on 100% ammonia fuel. The Sakra plant currently features two GE 9FA turbines, which are among the models IHI & GE are targeting for development of a “retrofittable” ammonia combustion system.
This week, we explore three new onboard systems: the Mitsubishi Ammonia Supply and Safety System (MAmmoSS®), Singapore-based C-LNG Solutions’ new ammonia low flash point fuel supply system, and a new NOx emission mitigation system developed by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel will collaborate on new guidelines for ammonia as a marine fuel. The work will help build towards ammonia bunkering demonstrations in Singapore.