In an all-Norwegian partnership, start-up Pherousa Green Shipping AS (PGS) has chosen shipmanager OSM Thome for an ambitious plan to order up to six innovative bulker newbuildings.
The two firms announced on Tuesday that they have entered a letter of intent to collaborate on the ships that are to be fitted with onboard ammonia crackers, which will allow the ships to run on hydrogen fuel.
TradeWinds reported about PGS’s plan in May.
Based on an existing ultramax design by Finland’s Deltamarin, the planned ships will additionally feature equipment developed by Oslo-based Pherousa Green Technologies (PGT).
OSM Thome now comes in to help with drawing approval, project development, site supervision, as well as crew and technical management for the planned carriers.
PGS “is in the process of initiating the order,” according to Tuesday’s statement, which provides no further details as to where the ships would be ordered and at which price.
The technology around them is designed by PGT, a company set up in 2020 by hydrogen expert and chief executive officer Vasilis Besikiotis in partnership with shipping executive Tonny Thorsen.
PGT aims to employ ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, which would facilitate “true zero-emission propulsion,” according to the company.
The early agreement with OSM Thome is part of a “proactive approach” to ensure that “crew members will be prepared and trained well in advance of vessel delivery,” Pherousa Group chairman Hans Bredrup said.
As for OSM Thome, this is one of the first projects the company announced since its creation in May, following the merger between OSM Maritime Group and Thome Group.
Since then, the merged entity “worked hard to amalgamate and build on the best attributes and skills of all our employees to provide real benefits for our customers,” said OSM Thome’s chief commercial officer Tommy Olofsen.
The project hopes to secure backing for the potential orders from major mining companies — especially in the copper industry, which has set ambitious emission reduction targets.
“We are actively engaging with key stakeholders in both ammonia supply and vessel end-users,” Bredrup said.
