Site items in: Ammonia Engine

Key shipping stakeholders see a multi-fuel future: new survey results
Article

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.

NoGAPS vessel project enters next phase
Article

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.

Retrofitting vessels for ammonia fuel: new technical study from Grieg Star
Article

Grieg Star and a series of high-profile maritime consortium partners have assessed the full feasibility for retrofitting a Grieg Star L-Class vessel to run on ammonia fuel. The study concludes that technical & regulatory challenges will not be showstoppers in the transition. A combination of high investment costs, uncertainty over ammonia fuel availability & pricing and slow market development remain the biggest barriers, presenting significant risks for first movers.

Mitigating emissions risks from ammonia-powered vessels
Article

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.

New ammonia-powered vessel designs win AiP
Article

Three new ammonia-powered, bulk carrier designs have recently been awarded Approval in Principle. In China, SDTR Marine & SDARI’s Kamsarmax dual-fuel design received AiP from the China Classification Society. In Japan, another Kamsarmax-sized vessel developed by Sumitomo and Oshima Shipping was approved, and ClassNK has signed off on a Capemax vessel designed by MOL and Mitsui & Co., which includes an ammonia-powered main engine and hard sails to improve energy efficiency.

Maritime ammonia: fuel cell propulsion systems, car carriers & bunkering in Germany
Article

In maritime ammonia updates this week:

  • Alma Clean Power’s containerised SOFC system design has been granted AiP by DNV. A 2 MW, ammonia-fed system will be used to retrofit the Viking Energy vessel as part of the ShipFC project.
  • Grimaldi Group has increased its order for ammonia-ready car carriers to fifteen. China Merchants Heavy Industries will construct the 9,000 car equivalent units design at Jiangsu shipyards, delivering the first vessels in 2025.
  • Mabanaft and Hapag-Lloyd will explore the supply of ammonia bunker fuel to Hapag’s vessels at the Port of Hamburg (Germany), and the Port of Houston (USA).
  • and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action will fund the construction of three, future-proof LNG bunker vessels, which are designed to be upgraded to handle ammonia fuel.

COP27: the Green Shipping Challenge
Article

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.

Ammonia-powered Aframaxes
Article

Thailand’s state-owned oil & gas organisation PTT and Singapore-based AET Tankers have agreed to jointly develop two dual-fuel Aframax vessels, with the intention of powering them with ammonia fuel. AET will select a shipyard for construction, with the two vessels to be delivered to PTT for long-term charters by early 2026.