There will be demonstration projects for onboard use of hydrogen and ammonia by 2025 paving the way for zero-carbon ships, and these technologies may be ready for commercial use in four to eight years. Methanol technology is more mature and has already seen first commercial use.


A range of new technologies are emerging including fuel cells, carbon capture, and storage (CCS), as well as wind power.


As owners consider these and other technologies for their newbuilds, they will be evaluating the economic potential of fuel and energy- efficiency strategies over the lifetime of a ship. This will entail a review of the impact of the chosen fuel strategy on ship design. Considering the significant uncertainties involved over the lifetime of a ship, they will need to focus on fuel flexibility and fuel ready solutions to ease the transition and minimise the risk of investing in stranded assets.


16. What about safety?


Ensuring safety is of paramount importance in achieving the successful and timely roll out of new fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. The development of safety regulations and guidelines will be necessary to evolve from large scale demonstration models to commercial use.


IMO’s International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code) addresses standards for ships using low-flashpoint fuel in general, but the current version focuses on regulations to meet the functional requirements for gas fuel (LNG). During the 7th session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC- 7), which was held from 6 to 11 September 2021, a work plan was agreed for the development of provisions for new low-flashpoint fuels under the IGF Code, including hydrogen, ammonia, LPG and methyl/ ethyl alcohols.


17. Are some alternative fuels better suited for certain ship types or trades?


For a fuel to become widely used, it must have adequate scalability,


i.e., both the infrastructure and the demand must be there, and it must be generally price competitive for take up. This may be easier to achieve for ships on regular liner routes. Those travelling between ports (i.e., bulk vessels on tramp trades) will have a difficult time sourcing the scarcer options.


18. Are alternative fuels presently available in key world ports? It not, when will they be?


LNG is presently the most readily accessible alternative fuel but is still not easy to source and certainly not carbon free. LNG (Bio-LNG and E-LNG) and Biofuels are good options for transitional fuels.


Methanol is only available in limited areas and is not yet in sufficient quantities to satisfy the requirements of the industry.


For the other alternative fuels under consideration, testing, development and creation of associated infrastructure is still on-going and they are not yet readily available.


19. What are the overall risks and impact to vessel operations associated with the use of alternative fuels?


A myriad of risks and costs considerations arise when selecting and using an alternative fuel. Some of these are identified in the table above. The principal risks and challenges concern crew safety, energy output compared to storage requirements onboard, and the availability of bunkering facilities.


Biofuels bring technical challenges concerning oxidation stability, cold flow properties, risk of microbial growth, clogging of filters, and increased engine deposits. They thus require careful handling.


During the 9th session of the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR-9), held on April 2022, it was agreed clarity on the use of biofuels on board ships is required. The Unified Interpretation provides a definition for the term “biofuel” and indicates that a fuel oil which is a blend of not more than 30% by volume of biofuel


should meet the requirements of regulation 18.3.1 of MARPOL Annex VI, while a fuel oil which is a blend of more than 30% by volume of biofuel should meet the requirements of regulation 18.3.2 of MARPOL Annex VI. This will be presented for approval by MEPC-78.


Gases in liquid form typically require storage at cryogenic temperature and specific safety standards will need to be satisfied. Hydrogen, for example, has a wide flammability range, while ammonia is highly toxic. Stringent measures will be required to protect crew from harmful exposure, and training will be required.


Hydrogen is a clean fuel, however, manufacturing it is energy-intensive and may have carbon by-products. What is now called brown hydrogen is created through coal gasification. The process for producing grey hydrogen from natural gas releases carbon waste in the atmosphere. Blue hydrogen utilises the same process that is used to produce grey hydrogen but with carbon capture and storage, and hence it has a lower environmental impact as compared to grey hydrogen. Green hydrogen production, although currently expensive, is seen by many as the ultimate solution and uses renewable energy to create hydrogen fuel.


Green ammonia will cost two to four times as much to make as conventional ammonia. The green and blue ammonia value chains differ in the hydrogen production method used. Green ammonia is generated from water electrolysis while blue ammonia is generated using natural gas, with the addition of carbon capture.


In terms of storage capacity, energy density/calorific value of the fuel is critical. More storage space on the ship will be required if a fuel does not have an energy density that is at least comparable to that of traditional fuel. Hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol, for example, all have a lower density, requiring larger storage tanks onboard ships.


20. Considering the current lack of alternative fuel infrastructure, and the absence of a present clear ‘winner’ amongst


The Report • September 2022 • Issue 101 | 63


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