- Wärtsilä suggests ammonia can be used as bunker fuel in existing engines to cut down the carbon footprint of shipping.
- Wärtsilä’s scientists are currently carrying out tests of ammonia both on its own and in combination with other fuels.
Ammonia could be one of the alternative fuels that allow the shipping industry to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, reports Ship&Bunker.
Ammonia as bunker fuel
According to engine manufacturer Wärtsilä, it may be possible to use ammonia as a bunker fuel on existing ships, significantly cutting the cost of cutting the shipping industry’s carbon footprint.
Kaj Portin, general manager for fuel and operational flexibility at Wärtsilä Marine said, “Ammonia could be blended with LNG or diesel to improve its ignition properties and allow it to be used in the current fleet with small engine modifications,” in a note on the company’s website.
Wärtsilä’s scientists are currently carrying out tests of ammonia both on its own and in combination with other fuels, and in 2022 field tests are planned with shipowners, the company said.
“Ammonia can be produced and used with no carbon emissions whatsoever, and new tests from Wärtsilä show that it can be used in current engines,” Vesa Koivumaa, business development director at Wärtsilä Marine, said in a LinkedIn post.
Ammonia to decarbonize shipping
If this idea proves successful, it would radically cut the near-term cost of decarbonising shipping by removing the need to buy new ships before new low-carbon fuel options can be taken on.
Easing the marine fuel supply chain into one dominated by ammonia steadily by gradually introducing blends with ammonia included at first would be a much easier transition for the bunker and shipping industries than a sudden shift into a new fuel category.
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Source: Ship&Bunker
