Nine key shipping stakeholders have joined the Global Maritime Forum to issue a joint statement, committing to develop and implement “robust book and claim chain of custody systems” that will accelerate the uptake of new maritime fuels like ammonia.
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMCZCS), RMI, Danish Shipping, and Maersk Oil Trading have released two publications outlining their new Maritime Book & Claim system, which will undergo a pilot later this year. Under the system, ships will be able to ‘book’ emissions associated with individual voyages, which consumers can then ‘claim’. The system seeks to accelerate decarbonisation by empowering green shipping services to find customers offering green premiums, regardless of geographical constraints.
Ammonia-powered vessels could be deployed on the iron ore trade routes between West Australia and East Asia from 2028, a new consortium study suggests. More than 20 vessels could be deployed on these routes by 2030, and over 360 by 2050. While ammonia fuel supply from Australia is unlikely to be a concern, validating the safety case for ammonia fuel, policy support to close the cost gap & industry-wide collaboration must all be established in time for deployment.
Mitsui & Co., INPEX and Japanese government agency JOGMEC will partner with ADNOC to verify the emissions intensity of ammonia produced at a new project in al-Ruwais, UAE. The final methodology is likely to reflect the definition of clean ammonia currently being developed in Japan. Shipments of CCU-based ammonia have arrived in Japan & India in recent weeks from SABIC in Saudi Arabia, further highlighting the potential of Middle East supply chains.
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.
The International Energy Agency has proposed a new taxonomy for hydrogen definitions based on emissions intensity, moving away from color labels. In Towards hydrogen definitions based on their emissions intensity, the IEA proposes a set of nine distinct, technology-neutral emissions intensity bands. The report also advocates for an international approach to ensure interoperability between certification schemes, and suggests that a mutual recognition approach based on the IPHE’s emissions methodology is the best way forward.
The UK government has released a consultation paper outlining its current position on several certification dilemmas, as it works towards launching a fully functioning low-carbon hydrogen certification scheme before 2025. The paper grapples with challenging design choices including chain of custody and scheme participation while emphasising the importance of international collaboration and interoperability.
IRENA and RMI’s new report Creating a global hydrogen market: Certification to enable trade concludes that there are significant gaps and conflicts in current certification schemes. Inconsistent labelling thresholds, accounting boundaries, and production pathways are the main areas of concern. The report offers several recommendations to support the harmonisation of certification frameworks, warning that schemes cannot continue to develop in a “patchwork” manner.
Last month, AEA Executive Vice-President Hans Vrijenhoef presented to a full house at the 29th AFA International Fertilizer Conference in Cairo, Egypt. Hans covered the challenging task of aligning the current & future ammonia certification tools being developed by various parties. There was also evidence of huge MENA momentum for clean ammonia at the event, both in Egypt and the wider region.
H2Global has launched its first tender process for the import of “green” ammonia into Europe, with a €360 million, ten year contract on offer beginning in 2024. In Germany, public gas company VNG and Total Eren will work towards ammonia imports into Rostock from 2028. VNG is already developing a significant clean production & import hub at Rostock, after an agreement with Equinor earlier this year.