Low- and zero-carbon marine fuel organisation SGMF has published new guides, ‘Bunkering Guidelines for Ammonia’ and ‘Bunkering Guidelines for Methanol’, as well as the ‘Emergency Response Guide for Ammonia’.
At the same time the NGO has rebranded to reflect its current activities in the key marine fuels for the future: methanol, ammonia and hydrogen, as well as its established focus on LNG. While the search for the perfect alternative fuel continues, methanol and ammonia are two of the fuels that the global merchant fleet has identified and is looking to implement, emphasising the importance of these new guidelines.
Methanol – With the first vessels already running on methanol, and many more on order, methanol is ahead of the curve in terms of adoption. It has also overtaken regulation, meaning that these early adopters are having to put forward safety solutions that have not yet been documented, and bunker suppliers using existing chemical carriers are trying to second guess what conversion and equipment may be needed to make their vessels physically compatible with the ships being produced. The methanol bunkering guidelines have been published as a first draft to highlight the key safety factors that need to be considered when designing and bunkering a vessel of any type with methanol.
Ammonia – Despite ammonia (NH3) not yet being commercially available as a marine fuel, this bunkering document provides guidance to all the stakeholders currently investigating and developing the bunkering of ships with fully refrigerated (-33°C) ammonia.
A range of potential hazards are expected with bunkering ammonia and to date there is very limited experience, with only one series of bunkering trials having been conducted by March 2024. As a result, Bunkering Guidelines for Ammonia draws primarily on the current experience of LNG bunkering, the wider ammonia marine transport industry and the shoreside ammonia production and transport industry experience.
The overall aim of the guidelines is therefore to ensure that ammonia-fuelled ships are bunkered safely, reliably, efficiently and in an environmentally responsible way, targeting the avoidance of operational or fugitive emissions of ammonia.
The bunkering guidelines are available in the SGMF online shop and the Emergency Response Guide for Ammonia can be downloaded through the free resources section.
The new publications have been compiled with extensive input from the SGMF membership, as well as with collaborative support from the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS).
Image: Launch of SGMF’s new guides and rebranding to reflect newer alternative fuels (source: SGMF)
