Wärtsilä and Eidesvik Offshore ASA have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at converting an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to operate with an ammonia-fueled combustion engine with required fuel supply and safety system.
This project will be the first of its kind ever in the world and has a provisional completion target by the end of 2023.
The OSV considered for a retrofit currently has Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines operating primarily with LNG fuel. The conversion will allow the vessel to operate with a 70% ammonia blend.
The ultimate goal is to achieve operation with 100% ammonia and with a minimum ignition fuel requirement.
Using ammonia as a fuel is seen as a key future contributor to shipping’s energy transition, and we’re excited to be the first offshore ship owner taking this step
said Eidesvik CEO & President, Jan Fredrik Meling.
Furthermore, Hans Petter Nesse, Managing Director of Wärtsilä Norway, added that the company is “already well advanced in the development of ammonia as a viable marine fuel, and are actively working on other future carbon-free fuels as well.”
Wärtsilä and Eidesvik are also partners in the EU-funded ShipFC project to equip a platform supply vessel, the ‘Viking Energy’ with a 2MW fuel cell running on green ammonia. The installation is scheduled to take place in late 2023.