NYK gets AiP for ammonia bunkering vessel design

ClassNK has issued an Approval-in-Principle (AiP) certificate for an ammonia fueled ammonia bunkering vessel designed by NYK and its partners. Seatrium, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, LMG Marin provided engineering expertise for the vessel’s design, which will now be submitted to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) for evaluation.

Safety philosophies on the safe use of ammonia, for example in the engine room, were developed to ensure compliance with the IMO’s interim guidelines for the safety of ships using ammonia as fuel, approved by the Maritime Safety Committee 109 in December 2024.

Also, the vessel design incorporates the consortium’s two key features to ensure safety and operational reliability: ammonia fuel dual-fuel engines from IHI Power Systems and a bunkering boom by TB Global Technologies.

The same type of engine was installed on the world’s first commercial-use ammonia-fueled tugboat, Sakigake, delivered in August 2024. The bunkering boom features a unique technology called the High-Speed Ammonia Purging Emergency Release System (ERS), which enables a reliable and efficient disconnection between vessels in an emergency.