Singapore’s Consort Bunkers is leading a team of companies looking to develop an ammonia-fuelled ammonia bunkering tanker.
The company has teamed up with ClassNK, Daihatsu Diesel, Daikai Engineering and SeaTech Solutions International on the initiative.
The five parties aim to pool their expertise on the project such as operating bunker tankers, alternative fuel engines, naval architecture, sales of machinery and marine equipment and classification services.
The five companies have concluded a memorandum of understanding concerning the joint study, which was signed on the sidelines of last week’s Gastech conference in Singapore.
“Amid expectation for using ammonia fuel in pursuit of shipping decarbonisation, bunkering ships for ammonia-fuelled ships will play an essential role in the supply chain,” the consortium said.
“As such ships are also anticipated to use ammonia as their fuel, the development of ships that can not only transport and supply ammonia to other ships but also use it as fuel in a safe and efficient manner addressing ammonia-related risks, including its toxicity to humans and corrosiveness to materials.”
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore assistant chief executive (operations) Captain M Segar, said: “The MPA welcomes studies, pilots and collaborations that contribute to the maritime sector’s decarbonisation efforts.
“Joint studies such as the one under this MOU are useful in bringing together the collective expertise and experience of various leading stakeholders to deepen the industry’s knowledge and confidence in handling the new future fuels, and to accelerate the development of future fuel solutions to meet the revised IMO GHG emission ambitions for international shipping.”
Yoichi Hayata, director of technical management division at Daihatsu Diesel, said there has been an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, and the use of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel has been attracting attention, however, there are issues with combustibility and safety.
“We have already conducted basic tests on ammonia, and have obtained knowledge on combustion characteristics, trends in exhaust gas emissions, precautions for handling, etc,” he said.
Mikio Kaneda, managing director at Daikai Engineering, said: “The maritime industry stands at the cusp of a transformative era, and our joint effort to develop an ammonia-fuelled vessel embodies our collective commitment to sustainable innovation. Together, we are not just envisioning a greener future; we are actively working to make it a reality.”
Consort Bunkers currently owns and time-charters a fleet of 13 bunkering vessels in seven ports comprising Singapore, Fujairah, Dubai, Khor Fakkan, Abu Dhabi, Zhoushan and Ningbo. The company is also on schedule to take delivery of four more 7,999-dwt barges by the end of 2023.
Earlier this year, the company ordered a series of six 6,500-dwt methanol-ready IMO Type II chemical tankers, expected to be delivered by the first half of 2025.
