Lloyd’s Register has awarded approval in principle to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ ultra large, 15,300 TEU container ship design. Meanwhile, the Chinese Classification Society has awarded AiP for a 3,500 TEU, Panamax ammonia dual fuel container ship.
Backed by the German Federal Government, MAN Energy Solutions will lead a consortium building on previous work to design and test an ammonia-powered four-stroke engine for marine applications.
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has released results from a new survey of over 2,000 workers across the maritime community. While a majority of workers indicate their willingness to sail on ammonia-fueled vessels, this support is contingent upon comprehensive training that addresses all concerns and operational aspects of working with ammonia. Live training, operational experience and proactive communication will all be required to increase confidence in the new fuel.
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has completed class approval testing for its HiMSEN Ammonia Dual-Fuel Engine, a four-stroke model that will be fed by direct high-pressure ammonia fuel injection.
The American Bureau of Shipping has granted AiP for two new autonomous technology packages developed by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries: an unmanned ammonia engine room, plus an AI safety package with rapid-response capabilities.
A series of new AiPs underlines momentum for marine ammonia fuel. For bunkering, barges and a range of jetty-less transfer terminals will enable safe operations. Fuel systems that can be retrofitted to existing vessels are also under development, as is an ammonia-powered “feeder” container vessel to complement larger designs.
Approval of interim guidelines for the use of maritime ammonia fuel is anticipated at an upcoming IMO committee meeting in December, giving the shipping industry its first international standard for the safe operation of vessels using marine ammonia fuel.
The biennial SMM event in Hamburg featured a number of ammonia announcements from across the entire fuel value chain, including deployment timelines for MAN’s two-stroke engines, high-pressure fuel pumps, bunker and container ship designs, and technology integration partnerships.
Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply the total technology package for the conversion of the Viking Energy to run on ammonia fuel. The original plan to retrofit the vessel with a 2 MW solid oxide fuel cell system was delayed by supply chain and development challenges, but SOFC developer Alma Clean Power will continue to test and scale its direct ammonia-fed technology for maritime applications.
NYK has announced that the tugboat Sakigake has been completed, and will enter three months of commercial trials in Yokohama harbor and Tokyo Bay. Thanks to retrofits, Japan’s first LNG-fueled vessel has now become Japan’s first ammonia-fueled vessel.