
Zero-carbon Ammonia for Shipping Faces Cost, Safety Challenges
At one of the world's biggest bulk export ports in Western Australia, shippers safely completed the first transfer of ammonia from one vessel to another last month, a key test for its adoption as a marine fuel in the push for cleaner energy.The first cargo ships powered by ammonia are set to enter service in 2026, one of several alternatives the industry is tapping to shrink a carbon footprint that contributes nearly 3% of global emissions.But ammonia faces major cost and safety hurdles as a shipping fuel compared to liquefied natural gas (LNG)…

LNG Carrier with Nuclear Propulsion Offers Faster Zero-Emission Transits, ABS Finds
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has released its latest report into the potential of advanced nuclear technology for maritime applications, concluding the technology installed on LNG carrier would enable faster transit speeds with zero-emission operations.ABS conducted a study of a small modular reactor on a standard liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier.The transformational impact of a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) on the design, operation and emissions of a 145…

Amogy and Partners to Develop Offshore Ammonia Cracking Solution
Ammonia-to-power solutions company Amogy announced it is teaming up with a group of industry partners to explore the technological feasibility of an innovative offshore ammonia cracking solution aimed at delivering low-cost, accessible clean hydrogen fuel.The consortium will focus on developing an Offshore Ammonia Cracking Solution technology. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) will design the ammonia supply system and integrate it into the overall system, Amogy will provide its ammonia-cracking technology…

Alternative Fuels: Many Possibilities But a Clear Path is Evasive
“It was the best of times, it was somewhat confusing times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of the learning curve, it was the season of light, it was the season of, uh, still not enough light.” ― Deepest apologies to Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859As the world zeroes in on alternative energy sources and products that can deliver power and performance, there are advances that could sway even the most hardened skeptic. But challenges remain—tough challenges.Two successes: renewable diesel and biodieselRenewable diesel (RD) is required now (since January 1…

Hydrogen-Hybrid Research Vessel Earns AIP
Glosten was awarded an Approval in Principle (AIP) by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the design of UC San Diego’s new hydrogen-hybrid Coastal-Class Research Vessel (CCRV). The CCRV will be operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and feature a propulsion system that uses hydrogen fuel cells for zero-emissions operation.Glosten and the project’s electrical integrator, Siemens Energy (SE), completed the preliminary design for the CCRV in March 2024. As an uninspected…

ABS and Liberian Registry Greenlight HHI's Next-gen Ammonia Carrier Design
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the Liberian Registry are both granting approval in principle (AIP) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Capital Gas Ship Management (Capital Gas) for a very large ammonia carrier (VLAC) design. This innovative vessel design features the integration of Amogy’s carbon-free ammonia-to-electrical power system, marking a significant leap forward in sustainable maritime technology.Amogy, ABS, the Liberian Registry, HHI, and Capital Gas…

Maersk's Ammonia-fueled Box Ship Design Earns Approval in Principle
A. P. Møller-Mærsk's newly developed design for an ammonia-fuelled 3,500 TEU container vessel has earned approval in principle (AIP) from classification societies Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).Led by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, the design project also involved MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech.“To unlock the potential of sustainable ammonia as an alternative, low-emissions marine fuel, we must…

Report Analyses Fuel Cells for Deepsea Vessels
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has released a report providing a techno-economic assessment of fuel cell applications for onboard auxiliary power for deepsea vessels.The reportindicates that it appears unrealistic to assume that fuel cells will compete with or entirely replace onboard internal combustion engines in the near future, even as fuel cells reach a high technological maturity level. This is due to the high initial costs currently associated…

Amogy Presented with New Technology Qualification Letter by ABS
Ammonia-to-power solutions company Amogy has been issued a new technology qualification (NTQ) letter for concept design verification by classification society the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).Amogy has developed an innovative ammonia-to-electrical power system that splits, or “cracks,” liquid ammonia into its base elements of hydrogen and nitrogen, which then funnels the hydrogen into a fuel cell, generating high-performance power.The ABS NTQ services offer guidance on early adoption and efficient implementation of new technologies…

Shipping Industry Faces Fuel Dilemma in Bid to Cut Emissions
The shipping industry is under increasing pressure to decarbonize, but unclear regulatory guidelines, including around what sorts of cleaner fuels large vessels should run, is complicating that path to net zero, according to executives.Global shipping firms are looking for ways to lower their carbon footprints, particularly as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates the global shipping industry, is being pushed to implement a charge on the sector's greenhouse gas emissions.The IMO's Maritime Environment Protection Committee concluded its 81st meeting last week…

ABB Azipod DI Propulsion System Gets ABS Approval
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted approval in principle (AIP) to ABB for its Azipod DI with a capacity of up to 4.5 MW and ice class PC3.ABB called the approval "a significant milestone", as the Azipod DI propulsion system is now ready to power future icebreakers in the North American market as demand for icebreakers on the rise."Our long-standing and fruitful cooperation between ABB and ABS has been instrumental in developing cutting-edge propulsion systems for icebreaking ships.

Workboat Power: Alternatives Join Diesel to Power Current—and Future—Vessels
Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

Will the Effort to Reach Zero Emissions Go Nuclear?
On December 8, 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower addressed the 470th Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. The speech he delivered is often recognized as his effort to introduce “Atoms for Peace”, a program to move nuclear fission and technology away from weapons development and into clean energy.As a result of that effort and program, the NS Savannah was built and delivered as the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. She was built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million and launched on July 21, 1959.

ClassNK Amends Rules for Seawater-lubricated Shafts
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has joined the major classification societies to amend its rules relating to the inspection of seawater-lubricated propeller shaft systems.The amendment means that ships with open seawater-lubricated propeller shafts that are built to ClassNK rules are subject to the same 15-year shaft withdrawal inspection periods as oil-lubricated shafts and sterntubes, subject to monitoring criteria.The announcement brings ClassNK’s requirements in line with those of other large class societies…

Shipowners, Port Operators Ramp Up Methanol-fueling Projects
Interest in methanol as an alternative fuel has grown in the shipping industry, which seeks to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.Below is a list of upcoming methanol bunkering-related projects by companies and ports:COMPANIES:A.P. Moller-MaerskMaersk received the world's first methanol-enabled container ship in July. It has 24 more such vessels on order to help it to achieve its goal of using low-emission fuels to transport a quarter of its volumes by 2030.HD Hyundai Heavy Industries expects to build a dozen more such vessels…

Future Fuels: Methanol
Any commentator on the maritime business decarbonization voyage will offer something along the lines of "There will be multiple fuels…" With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings of its Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) set for early July, it is likely that targets for emissions will be tightened. Whatever mileposts that the IMO actually establishes, there will be no prescriptions handed down on how to get there. By mid-2023, nearly two years after the late 2021 alternative fuels crescendo in the aftermath of the COP26 meetings in Glasgow…

Methanol Bunkering Gaining Interest Among Global Players
Denmark's Maersk said on Monday it has secured fuel for the world's first container vessel able to run on carbon-neutral methanol for its inaugural journey.Interest in methanol as an alternative fuel for bunkering has grown in the shipping industry, which seeks to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.Below is a list of key upcoming methanol bunkering-related projects by companies and ports:COMPANIES:*A.P. Moller-MaerskMaersk has ordered 19 methanol-enabled ships to work towards a goal of transporting 25% of its ocean cargo using green fuels by 2030.

Powering the North American Maritime Fuel Transition
Offshore service vessels, along with workboats serving harbors and inland rivers, have embarked on an industry-wide voyage toward reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses. Professor Craig Philip, a faculty member with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resilience (VECTOR) and former CEO of Ingram Barge Company, provides this context: “The Maritime Sector has long provided shippers with the most fuel-efficient and sustainable freight transport option…