With no carbon in its chemical composition, ammonia as a fuel promises carbon-free shipping. The Ammonia24 project aims to develop and demonstrate retrofit options and new engines for the two- and four-stroke marine engine market.
IMO ambitions as laid out in the latest revised GHG Strategy include an enhanced target of reaching net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around 2050, and a commitment to ensure an uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030.
Ammonia is a hydrogen-rich fuel with no carbon that can help reach these targets. As the global green and blue ammonia production capacity increases, its use as a marine fuel becomes significant. There are, however, safety and technical issues related to its use to overcome if its potential is to be fully realized.
Developing and demonstrating ammonia-fuelled engines
DNV is partnering with Wärtsilä, MSC, C-JOB and CNR on the Ammonia24 project, which aims at developing both two- and four-stroke marine engines that run safely and efficiently using ammonia as fuel.
Assuming the production of green ammonia can be sufficiently scaled, ammonia has the lowest GHG emissions of the current crop of alternative fuels. DNV’s role in the project includes work on regulations and emissions, and to conduct studies on the availability and bunkering of green and blue ammonia.
The ultimate aim of the project is to develop a medium-pressure ammonia fuel injection platform that can be retrofitted onto any two-stroke marine engine available in the market today and a newbuild four-stroke engine to be demonstrated in lab conditions that closely mimic real-life operations in ambient conditions. It is planned that the two-stroke retrofit will be demonstrated on a large MSC container ship.
The collaborative project runs from May 2022 to April 2026 and is EU-funded.
The benefits
Successful proof of the safety and feasibility of ammonia as a fuel will encourage volume production of green ammonia as the cleanest marine fuel available.
The project will explore the production capacity of ammonia and provide a broad overview of its availability. This will benefit industry stakeholders.
Adopted as a marine fuel, the carbon-free emissions of ammonia would significantly reduce costs for ships from emission trading schemes and carbon levies.
Also, ship owners and merchants using ammonia-fuelled ships for carriage of their cargos could boost their green credentials.
Market potential
Ammonia as a shipping fuel would benefit producers of green and blue ammonia and lead to an increase in production capacity. The demand for ammonia as a maritime fuel is estimated for 2030 to 2.3 MTPA, followed by a quicker increase to 62 MTPA in 2040 and 245 MTPA in 2050.
Links to more information:
*Foresight study / paper on future availability of green and blue ammonia in 2030 to 2050
