The consortium set up to establish an ammonia supply chain for ship bunkering in Singapore, consisting of A.P. Moller – Maersk, Fleet Management Limited, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping, Sumitomo Corporation and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has announced the addition of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, (‘K’Line) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
At the same time, an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the design of an ammonia bunkering vessel has been recived from ABS.
An MoU (memorandum of understanding) was recently signed in Singapore between the Consortium with ‘K’Line and MPA to develop the ammonia bunkering ecosystem at the Port of Singapore, the largest bunkering port in the world. This followed a feasibility study jointly launched by the Consortium in March 2021 to develop the Singapore ammonia supply chain. In the past year, the Consortium identified potential ammonia supply sources and indicative costs, as well as undertook the preliminary design and cost estimation for critical infrastructure, such as ammonia storage tanks and bunkering vessels, leading to the AiP from ABS for the bunker vessel design.
With the addition of ‘K’Line and MPA as new members, the parties will build on the current findings and begin development works to establish an integrated supply chain, with the aim to commence ammonia bunkering by 2030. The parties will continue to seek cooperation with various stakeholders of the maritime industry and relevant Singaporean ministries and agencies to realise the world’s first ammonia fuel supply chain.
These developments are in line with the IMO initial strategy to halve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the shipping industry by 2050 compared to 2008 levels. Ammonia, which does not emit CO2 when burned, is expected to be one of the most promising alternative marine fuel that has the potential to make significant contributions to reducing GHG emissions in the shipping industry.
