Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) recently conducted a comprehensive survey to assess seafarers’ perception and acceptance of ammonia as a marine fuel.
The survey reached over 2,000 respondents across the maritime community covering a range of different ages, positions, vessel segments, and level of experience with gaseous fuels or ammonia as cargo. Over half (58.6%) of the total respondents agreed that they would be willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels, while 24% were unsure and 12% reported that they would not be willing.
The 3 key takeaways
- The majority of respondents from across the maritime community are willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels.
- Acceptance of ammonia as a marine fuel is conditional on a comprehensive level of training and certification.
- Enhanced, reliable, and safe onboard fuel systems and inherently safer ship designs are seen as critical safety elements.
More specifically, 59% of seafarers and 57% of ashore personnel who responded to the survey agreed that they would be willing to work with ammonia. While more than half of the respondents were willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels, these respondents nevertheless raised some specific concerns, especially regarding training and safety.
Many of the survey responses emphasized the desire for more knowledge and training about ammonia. When asked about what knowledge they needed regarding ammonia as marine fuel, respondents highlighted many topics relating to safety, such ammonia’s impact on humans and the environment, firefighting and other emergency response procedures, and ammonia characteristics. Respondents also expressed a desire for comprehensive training – including on safety-focused topics such leakage management, emergency response, and risk analysis, but also on new engine procedures and maintenance, regulation, and gas as fuel.
Continuing on the theme of safety, the survey sheds light on the primary safety concerns of both seafarers and ashore personnel. The respondents’ basic perception of the characteristics (e.g., toxicity) and safe handling of ammonia seems to be generally accurate and reflects a good understanding of the possible risks involved. However, the survey showed a lack of knowledge regarding some technical aspects of ammonia handling and operations. Further study, communication, and training on these topics are, therefore, important. The survey responses also highlighted the importance of safer technology and design to support ammonia’s introduction as a marine fuel.
Another area of concern for survey respondents was the effectiveness and readiness of regulations – that is, whether regulations would be ready in time to appropriately protect seafarers from ammonia-related safety risks. Respondents additionally called for strict safety standards surrounding the design of the fuel systems.
Implementation of ammonia as a marine fuel will also require additional investments, such as costs associated with upskilling and training of seafarers. In the survey comments, some seafarers expressed their desire for monetary compensation due to the potential risks involved with the operation of ammonia as a marine fuel and the added complexity to their job.
Overall, the survey results suggest that the majority of the maritime community is willing to sail on and work with ammonia-fueled vessels. With that said, several barriers remain that will have to be addressed, including comprehensive training and safer ship and system designs.
