AiP granted for ammonia-fuelled Tug

The development of the tug is part of a Green Innovation Fund project within Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for the development of vessels equipped with a domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engine.

NYK Line and IPS achieved a design that safely and practically installs the ammonia fuel-related equipment in the limited space on board the tug. The main design issues considered were the need for stable combustion of the low energy density fuel, the generation of nitrous oxide (N2O: about 300 times the warming potential of CO2), and the toxicity of the fuel.

The companies will now work towards the realisation of a demonstration project at the port of Yokohama in fiscal 2024.

In March, NYK, MTI, and Elomatic announced the development of a concept design for an ammonia-fuel ready LNG-fuelled vessel adapted to be either a pure car carrier or a post-Panamax bulker.

In June, ClassNK issued an AiP for the conceptual design of an ammonia-ready VLGC developed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

Ammonia is expected to be used as ship fuel for decarbonization since it does not emit CO2 when burned, but safety measures are imperative due to its toxicity and corrosiveness, and ClassNK has worked on development of standards and certification. In 2021, ClassNK published its “Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels” to minimize the risks related to ammonia-fuelled ships for the ships, crew, and environment by stipulating requirements for installation, controls, and safety devices.