Ammonia advances as a fuel towards inclusion in 2030

Ammonia may soon be incorporated into the commercial bunker fuel mix by the end of the decade, according to recent advancements in propulsion technologies and bunkering infrastructure. At its Tamano Factory in Japan, Japanese shipbuilder Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (Mitsui E&S) has begun testing prototypes of the two-stroke ammonia dual-fuel engine manufactured by German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES).

While Finland’s Wärtsilä unveiled its ammonia dual-fuel internal combustion engine (ICE) last year, Swiss engine manufacturer Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) also stated that it would introduce its ammonia dual-fuel engine by June 2025.  For its ammonia-capable engines, WinGD has already landed 30 orders from LPG/ammonia carriers, tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships. Remarkably, according to classification society DNV, 30 ammonia-capable new builds are presently scheduled for delivery in 2027; however, it is uncertain if all of them will be outfitted with WinGD’s engines.

Ammonia ICEs are a big step in the right direction for their possible use as a commercial maritime fuel, but they have a drawback: because of their high auto-ignition temperature, ammonia requires pilot fuel, usually diesel, to ignite. Green ammonia’s potential for zero emissions is compromised by the carbon footprint that diesel pilots contribute. Hanwha Ocean in South Korea is working on an ammonia gas turbine to solve this problem, which could completely do away with the requirement for pilot fuel.

By 2030, South Korea plans to invest $410 million in the construction of LNG, methanol, and ammonia storage facilities at its main ports. The nation has also set aside $270 million to build four bunkering-only ships that are intended exclusively for recharging with LNG and ammonia.

At the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry dockyard in China, bunker supplier China Shipping & Sinopec successfully bunkered an ammonia-powered tugboat, proving that ammonia bunkering can be done safely and effectively with the correct facilities and handling techniques.

In the meantime, Japanese company NYK and Norwegian ammonia manufacturer Yara Clean Ammonia have inked the first-ever time-charter deal for a medium gas carrier with ammonia capabilities. This November, the ship is scheduled for delivery.

In other announcements this week, Liquid Wind, a Swedish e-fuel company, intends to build a new e-methanol manufacturing facility in Sweden that will produce 100,000 mt of e-methanol annually. Liquid Wind and Övik Energi, a Swedish power utility, have teamed up to install renewable electricity input to power the manufacture of green hydrogen and e-methanol.

The shipbuilding company HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC) has received an order for an LNG dual-fuel bunkering vessel from the South Korean shipping company H-Line Shipping. With its dual-fuel propulsion system, the 18,000-cbm vessel can operate on both conventional fuel oil and LNG.

The first liquefied CO2 carrier and the onshore storage facility in the UK-based energy business INEOS Energy-led Project Greensand will both use deepwell CO2 cargo pumps from Danish pump maker Svanehøj. Delivery of the deepwell CO2 cargo pumps for the onshore facility at Port Esbjerg and the LCO2 carrier is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.