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.
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.
New analysis from the Global Maritime Forum has found that the cost gap between ammonia fuel and conventional fuel could be closed as early as 2026 for their new NoGAPS vessel. A series of levers need to be pulled to fully finance NoGAPS and similar vessels (such as long-term charters), but the authors report favorable deals should be readily available. The authors also map out three commercial pathways for NoGAPS to operate, the easiest being exclusive bunkering on the US Gulf Coast.
Earlier this year, the Japanese shipping giant declared a strategic direction which included a substantial role for low carbon ammonia. In our latest episode of Maritime Insights we explored the scope of this new strategy, MOL’s future fuels roadmap, and the wide range of initiatives in play to construct a full value chain for fuel ammonia (including mega-scale production projects).
In Japan, NYK and TBG will develop a new ammonia bunkering boom to help reduce ammonia leakage during fuel transfers. On the newbuild front, Stolt Tanker’s six newbuild vessels will have the option of being retrofitted for ammonia propulsion, including the recently delivered Bochem Houston. Wallenius’ four “next generation” vessels will be initially methanol powered, with the option to run on ammonia.
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.
In an interview with media outlet TradeWinds, MAN Energy Solutions has indicated that a detailed testing program for its two-stroke marine ammonia engine began last week in Copenhagen. With safe, sustainable operations paramount, MAN is aiming for the test engine to operate on 100% ammonia fuel in all four cylinders by 2025.
Australia’s national research organisation CSIRO is contributing valuable R&D across the hydrogen and ammonia value chains. At Ammonia Energy APAC 2023, we’ll hear updates on some key ammonia energy projects at CSIRO: small-scale production, combustion engines, and fuel cells, as well as an ongoing partnership with Fortescue Future Industries to develop & deploy metal membrane technology for ammonia cracking systems.