Commenting about the future of ammonia in shipping, DNV expects the first ammonia-fueled vessels to hit the water in the second half of this decade.
However, DNV noted that large-scale uptake of this technology is not expected until the early 2030s.
More specifically, the classification society, said that the first engines will likely be installed on ammonia tankers.
Currently there are about 200 gas tankers that can take ammonia as cargo and typically 40 of them are deployed with ammonia cargo at any point in time
As it said, these kinds of vessels could be ideal candidates because they already have the fuel as cargo and crews with experience in handling ammonia.
In addition to ammonia tanker, segments like bulk carriers and containerships could follow.
DNV has also completed studies on ammonia bunkering operations in the Ports of Amsterdam and Oslo, examining the potential ramifications of a large ammonia leak in ports.
We defined external safety zones and risk-reduction measures, looking at the radius which would be affected by an ammonia leak. For the Port of Oslo, we found that in principle using a bunkering vessel with refrigerated ammonia would come with an acceptable risk level, because the residential area in Oslo would not be affected by a leak. But there is still work to be done to ensure safe handling on board
stated Christos Chryssakis, Business Development Manager, DNV.
Furthermore, the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) awarded its ammonia bunkering safety study to a DNV-led consortium, including partnership with Surbana Jurong and the Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA).
The intent of this study is to define a robust set of safety guidelines and operational envelopes that will establish the basis of a regulatory sandbox for trials at two local bunkering sites.
