Kawasaki Heavy Industries, in collaboration with Mitsui E&S, have been granted Approval in Principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for an LPG/ammonia carrier that can use liquid ammonia as the ship’s fuel.
Ammonia is a green fuel that emits zero CO2 when burned, and, like hydrogen, is attracting interest as a next-generation fuel at a time when the IMO is strengthening restrictions on gas emissions from ships. With regard to the ammonia fuel supply system, safety has been evaluated by a Hazid risk assessment meeting of experts and necessary measures have been taken. When they confirmed the design safety of the carrier to be compliant with ClassNK criteria, the AiP was granted.
In pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2050, Kawasaki is developing and supplying environmentally-friendly ship technologies, such as LPG-fuelled LPG carriers, LNG-fuelled vessels, and equipment linked to the attractive new energy sources hydrogen and ammonia, that comply with stricter global environmental regulations, to help bring about the transition from a low carbon to a decarbonised society.
The main advantages of the ammonia fuelled LPG/ammonia carrier are regarded as:
- The fuel is drawn from the liquid ammonia cargo, so the installation of dedicated fuel tanks is not required.
- Ammonia gas released into the atmosphere during maintenance or other work on the fuel supply system can be rendered harmless by pollution control equipment installed on the ship.
- By reinforcing the ship’s construction, full tanks of ammonia can still be transported despite the fuel being denser than LPG.
Image: Rendering of ammonia-fuelled gas tanker design (source: Kawasaki Heavy Industries)
