Smells like Sustainability: harnessing ammonia as ship fuel


Article by Hendrik Brinks, Principal Researcher and Christos Chryssakis, Business Development


Hendrik Brinks Christos Chryssakis Ammonia is one of the most


promising future fuels in the maritime world but introducing it to the fuel mix is far


from straightforward. What are some of the biggest challenges that need to be overcome? And what are DNV and other companies doing to tackle them?


It smells pungent and if a mere 0.5 per cent of the air you breath consists of it, it will kill you. And yet ammonia is being heralded as one of the best zero-carbon fuel options for deep-sea shipping in particular. In this article we will highlight some of the central questions that need to be answered before ammonia-fuelled ships can hit the water, including the supply, sustainability, engine technology and the necessary safety considerations.


Supply: Shipping will have to compete with other industries


Today, around 80 per cent of the global ammonia supply is used as fertilizer. Where will the ammonia for shipping come from? This is an issue that remains to be resolved, and production would have to ramp up significantly to meet the future demands of both shipping and global agriculture.


“In the context of decarbonization it’s important to understand that when we talk about ammonia’s great potential for shipping, we mean green ammonia. The fuel’s sustainability credentials vary depending on how it is sourced,” explains Hendrik Brinks, Principal Researcher for Zero Carbon Fuels at DNV.


58 | The Report • June 2022 • Issue 100


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