23 companies join forces in ammonia MoU

The group comprises class societies, terminals, shipping companies, shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, bunkering companies and companies involved in energy, mining, chemicals and power utility.

Among the issues identified for joint study are safety assessment of ammonia-fuelled ships and the bunkering process, fuel specifications for ammonia, and net carbon emissions from ammonia production.

The group stressed that the scope of the agreement was not limited to common issues around the use of ammonia as a fuel, but extended to the associated elements of development of ammonia-powered ships and the development of a worldwide ammonia supply chain. Expertise and experience may be sought from other relevant organisations, the group said, and the door remains open for more organisations to sign up to the joint study.

“Ammonia is a fuel with significant potential for marine applications and ABS is committed to supporting its safe adoption by the industry. It offers shipowners and operators a zero-carbon tank-to-wake emissions profile but is not without challenges. This kind of cross-industry collaboration is vital if we are to better understand the risks and the enhanced safety requirements created by alternate fuels,” said ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki, one of the 23 companies.

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While, Jérôme Leprince-Ringuet, Vice President Marine Fuels at TotalEnergies, commented: “Ammonia is seen as a promising future fuel for shipping from an emissions reduction and scalability perspective. However, safety, technology maturity and affordability remain key challenges which we need to overcome. In tandem with TotalEnergies’ R&D efforts, we are delighted to be part of these pioneering, industry-wide collaborations, to unlock ammonia as a cleaner marine fuel for ships.”

The 23 companies signed up to the initiative are ABS, Anglo American, ClassNK, DNV, Equinor, Fortescue Metals Group, Genco Shipping and Trading, Jera, K-Line, MAN Energy Solutions, Mitsui E&S Machinery, Nihon Shipyard, NS United, Pavilion Energy, TotalEnergies, Trafigura, UBE Industries, Uniper SE, Uyeno Transtech, Vale, Vopak Terminal Singapore, Itochu and Itochu Enex.