- MTF released recommendations for Safety Management Systems (SMS) for ammonia-fueled ships.
- The guidelines address mixed fuel use and safe changeover procedures.
- Emphasizes crew competency and training for handling ammonia safely.
The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) has released a report providing recommendations on how to develop and implement a Safety Management System (SMS) for ammonia-fuelled ships.
Ammonia as fuel
As explained in the report “Guidelines for developing and implementing a safety management system for ammonia-fuelled ships”, recognizing the industry’s forecasts on the uptake of future fuels with low to zero carbon emissions, ammonia has emerged as one frontrunner. However, it presents new risks such as toxicity and corrosiveness.
Ammonia has the advantage of containing no carbon in its molecule, unlike LNG or MGO, which means its combustion does not produce carbon dioxide. However, ammonia combustion results in other exhaust emissions such as nitrogen oxides, a local pollutant, and nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas.
Additionally, ammonia can have unstable combustion, and current ammonia-fuelled engine designs require pilot fuel to provide the ignition energy. As a result, ammonia as fuel is unlikely to be combusted without a pilot fuel. In terms of storage, LNG must be kept at cryogenic conditions of –161.5°C, whereas liquid ammonia can be stored at –33°C, making its storage less energy-intensive.
To address these challenges, MTF has developed guidelines to close previously identified gaps when implementing the ISM code for safe operation with ammonia as fuel.
Key highlights of the report
- Guidelines for SMS Development: Industry stakeholders can use the report’s guidelines and recommendations to develop new Safety Management Systems (SMS) or strengthen existing ones for ammonia as fuel. MTF recommends using these guidelines alongside other existing and upcoming guidelines to ensure safe application.
- Limited Initial Experience: The report acknowledges the elevated operational and environmental risks of using ammonia compared to fossil fuels and that the lack of operational experience and equipment operating with ammonia as a fuel limits the availability of data. A centralized industry database is recommended to share lessons learned from ammonia pilot projects and incident reports.
- Learning from Hazardous Occurrences and Accidents: The application of structured risk management within the SMS is crucial. Companies should proactively identify improvements through learning from non-conformities, accidents, and hazardous occurrences related to ammonia as fuel.
- Versatile SMS for Mixed Fuel Operations: In the initial stages, the fuel mix onboard will likely include both fossil fuels and ammonia. Safe fuel changeover procedures and comprehensive dual-fuel engine training programs are essential.
- Training and Familiarization: Ensuring safe ammonia-fuelled operations requires careful evaluation of competency, training, familiarization, and resources. The required level of competence should be determined by the role, task, or responsibility assigned.
- Human Factors Considerations: The report emphasizes the importance of understanding ammonia-related risks associated with human factors. Appropriate processes and procedures should be implemented to enhance the overall SMS.
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Source: Maritime Technologies Forum
