New vessel concepts for offshore production, storage & transport of ammonia
By on March 24, 2023
A Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) concept to produce renewable ammonia has secured Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV. Being developed by Netherlands-based SwitcH2 and Norway-based BW Offshore, the FPSO vessel will produce hydrogen by electrolysis of seawater, powered by both “baseload” wave energy and offshore wind energy. The hydrogen will be fed into an on-deck ammonia synthesis unit. The ammonia product will then be condensed and stored in the hull, and subsequently offloaded onto an ammonia carrier.
Though permanently turret-moored in ~200m deep water, the FPSO vessel will be easily relocatable, allowing cost effective production in areas of ready renewable energy availability and proximity to ammonia carriers. The unit will be built through conversion of an existing Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) or a dedicated newbuild vessel. Each complete FPSO unit is expected to be about 330m long, supporting a 100MW electrolysis plant on deck.
The FPSO process has been widely used in the oil & gas fields worldwide, but its application to the ammonia industry is new. SwitcH2 & H2Carrier (for renewable ammonia) and CyaNH3 (for CCUS-based ammonia) are among the early movers in adapting this technology for ammonia production. SwitcH2’s approach differs from H2Carrier’s in its use of a “baseload” wave energy combined with offshore wind to optimise the electrolysis.
The AiP covers all aspects of the integrated vessel concept including structural integrity, mooring, ammonia production, ammonia storage and cargo handling. We are pleased to see such developments both with regard to use of renewable energy and as a contribution to emission reduction across many potential applications in different industry sectors.
Conn Fagan, Business Development for Floating Production VP at DNV in DNV’s official press release, 10 March 2023
We are delighted we have been awarded the AiP from DNV for our concept and we look forward to working with DNV in the next stages of the project.
Bob Rietveldt, SwitcH2 Management Board Member in DNV’s official press release, 10 March 2023
At BW Offshore, we leverage our offshore experience to support and expedite the energy transition by engineering next generation floating production solutions. Achieving this AiP is an important milestone and an encouraging step towards a cleaner energy mix.
Fredrik Savio, SVP Project Development at BW Offshore in DNV’s official press release, 10 March 2023
FRESH mobile terminal concept to simplify ammonia transportation
Louis Dreyfus Ports and Logistics (LDPL) has developed the “Floating Renewable Energy Solution for Hydrogen” vessel (or FRESH), a mobile terminal concept capable of storing and supplying hydrogen as renewable ammonia.
The FRESH vessel will transport ammonia from production points to regions lacking import infrastructure such as deep water jetties, on-shore crackers, and dedicated import & storage terminals. This will allow access to a wider market and reduce the Capex of ammonia energy projects – especially those focused on end use applications.
LDPL has partnered with Korean Register (KR) classification society to review the FRESH concept to ensure compliance with marine industry practices. LDPL and KR signed an MoU in September last year to develop a fit for purpose technical and regulatory framework. In November last year, KR awarded an AiP to LDPL, underscoring the safety and technical viability of the FRESH concept.
… We believe that our innovation will enable a new and global import and export supply chain centred around renewable power sources and green hydrogen and ammonia as energy carriers…The AiP that LDA has secured today is a demonstration of the strength of our collaboration with the KR and the viability of our new vessel for future commercial use.
Mathieu Muzeau, Transport and Logistics Managing Director at LDA in LDA’s official press release, 21 December 2022
…FRESH is going to revolutionize the last mile logistic of hydrogen delivery and enable the maritime sector to play a pivotal role in the decarbonization of other hard-to-abate industries.
Hyung Chul Lee, KR Chairman & CEO, in LDA’s official press release, 21 December 2022