Ammonia-fuelled boxship design revealed at Marintec

Making headlines at Marintec China in Shanghai this week is ammonia. UK class society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has granted approval in principle to Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) and MAN Energy Solutions for an ammonia-fuelled 23,000 tea ultra-large container ship (ULCS) concept design, the first ammonia as fuel design of its kind in China.

Bjarne Foldager, senior vice president at MAN Energy Solutions, said: “Developing ships fuelled by ammonia makes perfect sense as it has the potential in the future to be created from renewable, primary-energy sources such as wind, hydro or solar.”

Mark Darley, LR North Asia president, said: “This is an exciting project, not only for LR who has had many firsts in this area, including the first hydrogen-fuelled ferry, Hydroville, but for the Chinese market as this is the first design of its kind and shows the country’s commitment to shipping’s decarbonisation journey. The global shipping community is facing the challenges associated with the IMO’s GHG ambitions, this is the first step in exploring and testing low carbon alternatives such as ammonia.”

Across the many giant halls of Marintec China future fuels are among the most debated topics this week.