ABS approves ammonia FPSO

Approval in Principle (AiP) was granted by the American Bureau of Shipping during Marintec 2025 in Shanghai for a pioneering ammonia FPSO design announced on 2 December 2025.

“The ammonia FPSO concept is aligned with MISC’s commitment to #deliveringProgress and accelerating the pathway to deliver more energy with less emissions. This new concept is a result of strategic collaboration that drives impactful change that is needed in our industry.

”By adapting a proven onshore technology for offshore use, we are not just creating a new concept, we are supporting the offshore industry to achieve its lower carbon ambitions,” said Zahid Osman, president and group CEO of MISC.

Well to gate

This FPSO unit adapts proven onshore technology offshore, converting unutilised hydrocarbon gas into blue ammonia stored onboard at cryogenic conditions.

By enabling offshore production and storage, the concept shortens the ammonia supply chain and improves the well to gate carbon emission profile for alternative fuels.

The ammonia FPSO will receive feed gas from a nearby host facility, including oil producing FPSO assets and process varying specifications using a modular topside plant.

Liquid ammonia is stored onboard before direct tandem export to liquid ammonia carriers, achieving 99.8% purity. This operational flexibility positions FPSO as a practical offshore platform for alternative fuels production.

The project is in Pre FEED after the Q4 2025 AiP, with studies concluding in Q1 2026.

MISC and China Offshore are collaborating with KBR and LNT Marine, while ABS provides independent review to validate safety, feasibility and the ammonia supply chain globally offshore.