Navigator sees its ship-to-ship ammonia transfer in South Africa as a milestone that will help unlock ammonia as a maritime bunker fuel. In Japan, JERA will begin truck-to-ship bunkering of ammonia fuel in late May, servicing NYK Line’s A-Tug vessel.
The American Bureau of Shipping, Fleet Management Limited, Sumitomo Corporation, TOTE Services and CALAMCO will explore the feasibility of ship-to-ship bunkering at the Ports of Oakland and Benicia, leveraging CALAMCO’s existing ammonia import and storage terminal at the Port of Stockton.
Yara and Azane have received approval from Norway’s Directorate for Civil Protection to construct their first ammonia bunker facility at Fjord Base, with the bulk of bunker operations to provide offshore supply vessels with ammonia fuel. In the Netherlands, the Dutch EPA has granted a permit to OCI Global to construct a 60,000 ton ammonia storage tank in Rotterdam, based on requirements that will feature in the updated version of PGS-12.
New Oxford research finds that over 60% of global shipping fuel demands could be met by renewable ammonia in 2050, which can be achieved by targeting renewable ammonia fuel supplies at the “top 10 regional ports”. The team also predicts that conventional maritime fuel production could be replaced by a more “regionalised industry”, producing up to 750 million tons of renewable ammonia per year in tropical and sub-tropical countries.
Fortescue Future Industries, Maritime and Port Authority Singapore and a host of supporting organisations announced a world-first marine trial in Singapore harbor last week. The vessel sailed on ammonia and diesel dual-fuel in harbor waters, after being loaded with liquid ammonia fuel at Vopak’s Banyan Terminal on Jurong Island. Two years of vessel development and months of safety and training exercises led up to the trial. MPA and Fortescue report that post-combustion NOx levels from the vessel met local air quality standards for Singapore, with further emissions treatment measures to be applied.
Italian class society RINA will work with LNG-specialist Gas and Heat to develop an integrated cargo and fuel gas system for an ammonia-fueled bunker vessel. The vessel development builds on two technology designs from Gas and Heat already certified by Bureau Veritas: an Ammonia Fuel Supply System and an LNG-ammonia dual purpose tank.
A new roadmap from the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) has set a number of key drivers and enablers for ammonia imports of up to 25 million tons per year in the Antwerpen-Rotterdam-Rijn-Ruhr area by 2030. Public acceptance, a careful approach to safety and environmental concerns, regulatory updates and new ammonia pipelines will all be needed.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and six Japanese ports will establish a “Green and Digital Shipping Corridor” between the two countries. The partners will embark on pilot projects and trials for alternative maritime fuels including ammonia, and work together to develop the necessary bunkering infrastructure, regulatory & training standards.
Sumitomo will supply clean ammonia fuel for Hoegh Autoliners’ future fleet of ammonia-fueled PCTC vessels at the ports of Jacksonville and Singapore from 2027. Also on the Atlantic US coast, Sumitomo is part of a consortium conducting a feasibility study on ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering at the Port of Savannah.
For our final episode of Maritime Ammonia Insights, we take stock of the progress of marine ammonia fuel to date, and ask what comes next. Meet Fürstenberg Maritime Advisory to learn about upcoming key decision points at the IMO, communications strategies for marine ammonia, current safety gaps, and priorities for 2024 as we work towards the first demonstrations of marine ammonia fuel.