In cracking technology updates this week:

• Air Liquide’s industrial-scale, ammonia cracking pilot plant at the Port of Antwerp is expected to be operational in 2024.
• In the UK, AFC Energy has announced a new cracking technology platform.
• Aramco and Linde Engineering have plans to develop their own ammonia cracking technology based on a new catalyst, with a demonstration plant in northern Germany to follow.
• And Fraunhofer IMM researchers have developed the compact AMMONPAKTOR cracking reactor system, which will be utilised to feed PEM fuel cells.

Welcome to the Ammonia Wrap: a summary of all the latest announcements, news items and publications about ammonia energy. This week: commercialised ammonia gas turbines, TDK and GenCell join forces, another GW of green ammonia production, small-scale green ammonia in rural Japan, hydroelectric ammonia in Laos, Viking Energy vessel updates, new partnerships for Haldor Topsoe and "any-fuel" high-temp PEM fuel cells.

This morning, it was announced that the "Viking Energy," a supply vessel for Equinor's offshore operations, will be modified to run on a 2 MW direct ammonia fuel cell. This will be a five year project: the technology will be scaled-up on land before being installed on the vessel, which will begin a year of GHG emission-free operations in 2024. The Norwegian partners leading this "world's first" project include shipowner Eidesvik, contractor Equinor, and ammonia producer Yara, as well as Wärtsilä (Wärtsilä Norway), responsible for power technology and ammonia storage and distribution systems, and Prototech, delivering the fuel cell system.