Japanese companies have made headway in their efforts to deliver a mid-sized ammonia carrier powered by ammonia fuel by the fourth quarter of 2026.
The consortium partners, which include shipping line Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), engine makers Japan Engine Corporation and IHI Power Systems, Nihon Shipyard, a joint venture between Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United, and local class society ClassNK, have signed a series of contracts to build a 44,000 cu m ship by November 2026.
“The completion of the vessel will be a significant step toward the realisation of decarbonisation in the maritime sector,” NYK said.
The partners have been working on a demonstration project intending to commercialise vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fueled engines since 2021 under the Green Innovation Fund Project by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
The companies designed a prototype unit that overcame the challenges of ammonia’s stable combustion in engines, nitrous oxide emissions, and addressed ammonia toxicity, for which they obtained approval in principle from ClassNK in September 2022. This was followed by further research and development, which ultimately led to the decision to build the ship.
The vessel, expected to have a greenhouse gas reduction rate of 80% or more, will be built at Japan Marine United’s Ariake yard. It will be powered by an ammonia dual-fuel two-stroke engine produced by Japan Engine Corporation and is expected to have an ammonia-fuel mixed combustion rate of up to 95%. IHI Power Systems will provide an ammonia dual-fuel four-stroke auxiliary engine with a mixed combustion rate of about 80%.
