The Maritime Risk Group (MRG) at the National Technical University of Athens is presently investigating the safety and environmental challenges encountered by the shipping industry as it shifts towards adopting cleaner alternative fuels.
As explained, ammonia is emerging as one of the most promising alternative fuels for commercial shipping to meet the 2050 set targets. However, the maritime sector’s experience with ammonia has been limited to its use as a cargo, and research is still ongoing for its safe application as a fuel.
The potential adoption of ammonia as a bunker fuel necessitates the shift from isolated and restricted cargo operations to widespread utilization, introducing new technologies and operational measures that bring forth considerable safety and environmental risks.
Our work aims to enhance the understanding of these risks and the potential safety and environmental implications, as well as to develop advanced methodologies and tools for the seamless introduction of ammonia fuel technology.
..MRG said.
The shipping sector faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable fuel technologies to reduce environmental and climate impact. In response, the Maritime Risk Group (MRG) of National Technical University of Athens has developed a comprehensive methodology for a tailored, ship- and route-specific assessment of alternative marine fuel technologies.
Our approach combines dynamic simulations with multi-criteria decision analysis to explore the feasibility, performance, emissions and energy costs of various propulsion and energy supply systems based on alternative fuels, including methanol, ammonia, biodiesel, hydrogen and batteries.
..the company added.
A recent study commissioned by The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), highlighted that given ammonia’s toxic nature, ensuring safety in its handling, both onboard ships and during bunkering operations, is crucial.
Moreover, according to a study supported by the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium indicated that, switching the global fleet to ammonia fuel could cause up to 600,000 additional premature deaths each year.
