Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group subsidiary Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co has finished a conceptual study of an ammonia bunkering vessel with Japanese oil and gas company Inpex Corp, says an article published on Rivieram.
Maritime industry research
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s concept vessel would, if built, serve the ammonia-fuelled vessel market, which, according to maritime industry research firm Clarksons Research, is growing. Orders for ammonia-fuelled vessels made up nearly 11% of total vessel orders in 2022.
Mitsubishi said it relied on its experience in the design and construction of LNG carriers capable of transporting ammonia in its conceptual study.
Bunkering equipment
The goal of the study, the company said, was to explore design elements for a “highly flexible ammonia bunkering vessel having enough tank capacity, ship manoeuvrability and bunkering equipment” to allow the bunker vessel to serve different types of ammonia-fuelled vessels.
Mitsubishi said it plans to undertake “further technical investigations, and with the co-operation of the maritime-related companies involved, will set its sights on the commercialisation of this vessel”.
Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
“Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will continue to focus on developing and commercialising not only ammonia bunkering vessels, but alternative-fuel vessels and relevant equipment to realise a carbon-neutral society,” the company said.
“Since ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide when burned, it is expected to be utilised as a stable source of clean energy in the future and is getting attention as a fuel that will greatly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime industry.”
Week’s announcement
The bulk carrier sector has seen multiple companies pushing ahead with ammonia-based propulsion, including this week’s announcement from CMB.Tech and WinGD, which will collaborate to develop ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines.
And last week, classification society DNV awarded an approval in principle to Norwegian marine fuel-cell manufacturer Alma Clean Power for a containerised solid oxide fuel-cell module for use with ammonia.
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Source: Rivieram
