From Japan to North America, Striving for a Low Carbon Future through Advances in Ammonia Production
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.
Sunborne Systems ran a successful demonstration for its ammonia cracking reactor in Oxford, producing a fuel blend capable of powering a small vehicle or small generator unit. Also in the UK, AFC Energy announced a similarly successful demonstration of its integrated cracker and purifier system, producing hydrogen fuel which meets purity & ISO standards for heavy vehicle refueling.
EXMAR’s two new Midsize Gas Carriers will be built at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea and fitted with ammonia dual-fuel engines. WinGD will supply the engines for the vessels, which are on track for delivery in early 2026.
With international shipping activity to more than double by 2050, the IEA forecasts that ammonia’s share of final energy consumption in the industry will rise to 44% in 2050, with a suite of other low-carbon fuels to play smaller roles. Lloyd’s Register & OCI HyFuels have also forecast that ammonia (and particularly electrolytic ammonia) will become the most significant fuel in the maritime sector by 2050.
In vessel news this week:
In vessel news this week:
Expected to become commercially available in 2025, WinGD’s X-DF-A ammonia powered engines will be fitted on Samsung Heavy Industries’ newbuild vessels. Eastern Pacific Shipping expects its ammonia powered Newcastlemaxes and VLAC fleet to be delivered from 2026 onwards, after signing a series of agreements with MAN Energy Solutions and other key partners.