Ammonia powered projects gaining surge globally in search for zero carbon shipping
A mapping of
zero emission pilot and demonstration projects being undertaken in the shipping
industry shows a major growth in interest in large ammonia-powered vessels.
Mirroring a
general increase in interest around green ammonia as potential fuel to
decarbonise shipping the Getting to Zero Coalition’s updated Mapping of Zero
Emission Pilots and Demonstration Projects showed 10 new large ammonia
projects, bringing the total to 14.
The mapping
exercise revealed that the total number of projects working on zero emissions
fuels and propulsion, as well as bunkering and distribution of fuels, for
shipping had increased from 66 to 106. Interest in hydrogen, Power to X, and
batteries also remains strong.
“We see an
increased specialization in small and large ship technology projects. There is
an uptake in hydrogen-based ship technology projects, but particularly in
ammonia projects. For fuel production projects, we see a continued trend
towards hydrogen-based Power-to-X fuel production,” said Jesse Fahnestock,
Project Director at the Global Maritime Forum and lead of the Getting to Zero
Coalition’s Motivating First Movers workstream.
“In the last six
months, around 10% of the projects have increase in size or ambition or moved
from the concept study stage to the demonstration stage. This shows a tangible
move towards raising ambition and scaling up existing projects.”
Among recent
projects AP Moller – Maersk, Keppel Offshore& Marine, Fleet Management,
Sumitomo Corp, Yara International, and Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero
Carbon Shipping announced a joint study into green ammonia bunkering in
Singapore, while Eastern Pacific Shipping is set for methanol/ammonia powered
ships in a partnership with MAN and OCI.
There has also
been an increase in Asian based projects from 16 in the first edition of the
mapping to 31 in the second.
“The new mapping
includes twice as many Asian projects. Based on the timing of the projects that
we have uncovered, we judge that there is an increase in activities in Asia. It
is also encouraging to see an expansion of new geographies now pursuing zero
emission pilot projects,” said Fahnestock.
Europe remains a
key territory in the majority of projects with 71 having a significant
connection to Europe.
The Getting to
Zero Coalition is run by the Global Maritime Forum and aims to help accelerate
maritime shipping's decarbonisation with the development and deployment of
commercially viable deep sea zero emission vessels by 2030.
IMS