Thirty-four leading global organisations, the World Economic Forum and the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry have founded a new group: the First Movers Coalition. The group's purpose is to invest in green technologies so they are available for massive scale-up by 2030, allowing for rapid decarbonisation of the hardest-to-abate industries. The implications for ammonia energy are huge, as many of the group's founding members are already deeply involved in the space.
Wärtsilä and Simon Møkster Shipping will explore the feasibility of using ammonia as the main fuel in dual fuel engines. Currently Møkster's fleet operates on LNG. In Japan, NYK Line, Japan Engine Corporation, IHI Power Systems, Nihon Shipyards and ClassNK will all collaborate on a demonstration project of ammonia-powered vessels in Japan. First announced in 2020 with three vessel concepts, two of the three vessel designs now have a commercialisation schedule fully defined (the A Tug and the AFAGC).
IRENA's new report explores the available options and actions needed en route to a decarbonised global shipping sector by 2050. A pivotal role is forecast for renewable ammonia, with 183 million tonnes per year (the current volume of annual global ammonia production) to be required by 2050 for maritime fuel.
A group of multinational, consumer-facing organisations including Amazon, Ikea, Michelin and Unilever have committed to using only zero-emission ships to transport their cargo by 2040. As a group and as individuals, coZEV members intend to set ambitious interim goals, and lobby policymakers to bring about the necessary regulatory changes.
Eidesvik Offshore and Wärtsilä will cooperate in the world's first ammonia conversion project, with an existing offshore supply vessel (OSV) to be retrofitted with an ammonia-fueled combustion engine, fuel supply and safety system. The project has a completion date of late 2023. In the engine space, MAN ES has signed a new agreement with Mitsui E&S and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to have purchase contracts for its low-speed, ammonia-fueled main vessel engine finalised in 2023.
Acknowledging that a coordinated, national-level approach is urgently needed to create a viable hydrogen industry in Australia, the Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) has set out a series of recommendations in their new white paper. AHC sees ammonia as playing an important role in an emerging Australian hydrogen industry, particularly as an immediate end-use application for clean hydrogen. We sat down with AHC's CEO Fiona Simon to learn more.
Last week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published the Ammonia Technology Roadmap, in which the pathway to nitrogen fertilizer production up to 2050 was highlighted. Various scenarios were introduced, ranging from a baseline scenario to a sustainable development scenario (SDS) and a net zero emissions (NZE) by 2050 scenario. Demand, decarbonization costs and technology pathways were all explored in detail.
As part of its efforts to support the adoption of ammonia as an alternative maritime fuel, the American Bureau of Shipping has published a new, comprehensive guide to ammonia-fueled vessels. ABS joins DNV GL, the Korean Register, RINA and Bureau Veritas in publishing ammonia-ready notations, fuel guidelines & vessel guides this year.
Two announcements this week: i) Samsung Heavy Industries and Wärtsilä have agreed to jointly to develop new-build vessels with 4-stroke, ammonia-fueled auxiliary engines; and ii) Bureau Veritas has awarded Approval in Principle to Hyundai Heavy Industries and KSOE for their new, ammonia-fueled vessel design.