First trial use of ammonia as marine fuel conducted onboard Singapore-flagged vessel
The Fortescue Green Pioneer sailing from its base in Singapore to Dubai for COP28. (Photo: Fortescue)
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SINGAPORE: The world's first test of using ammonia as a marine fuel has been conducted onboard a Singapore-flagged vessel, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Australian company Fortescue said on Friday (Mar 15).
The Fortescue Green Pioneer was loaded with liquid ammonia from an existing ammonia facility at Vopak Banyan Terminal on Jurong Island for the trial, said the joint media release.
The dual-fuelled vessel can adopt ammonia for bunkering in combination with diesel.
Ammonia, manufactured as a chemical by combining nitrogen from the air with hydrogen, is among several alternative fuels that shippers are exploring to reduce emissions.
As a carrier for hydrogen, it can be “transported to demand centres for power generation” and as marine fuel in support of energy transition, according to the media release.
The trial was conducted over a period of seven weeks and included rigorous testing of the vessel’s “ammonia storage systems, associated piping, gas fuel delivery system, retrofitted engines, and seaworthiness”, said MPA and Fortescue.
It marks a “significant milestone in Singapore’s multi-fuel bunkering capability development to support the digitalisation, decarbonisation, and manpower development for international shipping”.
The Fortescue Green Pioneer became the world’s first ammonia-powered vessel in 2022 following the success of its land-based testing in Perth, Western Australia.
The vessel sailed from Singapore to the Middle East in December last year and was showcased at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and COP28 in Dubai.
After the fuel trial, the vessel has also received flag approval from the Singapore Registry of Ships and the “Gas Fuelled Ammonia” notation by classification society DNV to use ammonia, in combination with diesel, as a marine fuel.
Singapore's port authority has also shortlisted companies for an ammonia power generation and bunkering project on Jurong Island, and will eventually select a lead developer for the project.
