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In a neat visualisation of where shipping is on its path towards decarbonisation, the world’s first ammonia capable vessel has arrived in Dubai on diesel fuel. Australian miner Fortescue is showcasing its retrofit project in the waters of the Dubai Harbour Marina during the COP28 conference to shed attention on the creative approaches but also the regulatory changes required to decarbonise shipping.
The 2010-built platform supply vessel FFI Green Pioneer, formerly known as MMA Leveque, has been converted to run in ammonia dual-fuel mode following an 18-month project.
Although capable of running on ammonia, the PSV will not be carrying the fuel or demonstrating its use while in Dubai, as such ships are not allowed to berth at ports today.
“At the moment the regulatory landscape does not allow for ammonia ships to operate,” Fortescue chairman and founder Andrew Forrest noted after the ship made its way from Singapore on traditional bunker fuel.
At the moment the regulatory landscape does not allow for ammonia ships to operate
Forrest used the opportunity to point out that now that green ammonia is emerging as a bulk marine fuel, it is time for the ports to become capable of pollution-free shipping and is calling on authorities to license green ammonia loading.
“This is seriously limiting the progress of the decarbonization of shipping. I look to the leadership of the world’s ports to make clear that running the world’s global shipping on dirty bunker fuel has to stop, as we have a pollution-free alternative,” he said.
Fortescue retrofitted a four-stroke engine to run on a blend of ammonia and diesel at its Perth testing facility earlier this year and has since installed an entire gas fuel delivery system and converted two of the ship’s engines in Singapore to enable it to run in dual-fuel mode.
When the vessel returns to Singapore, which has made itself ammonia capable, the company said it plans to complete commissioning to enable it to perform a world-first ammonia transfer and reach final flag and class approval to operate ammonia dual-fuel engines on the water and use ammonia as a fuel. |
