US Provider of ammonia-to-power solutions Amogy has announced that what it says is the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered maritime vessel has successfully completed its maiden voyage.
The NH3 Kraken, a tugboat originally constructed in 1957 and retrofitted with Amogy’s ammonia-to-electrical power system, sailed on a tributary of the Hudson River, upstream from New York City.
The demonstration is seen as a significant step towards reducing global carbon emissions and moving the maritime industry closer to the IMO target of net-zero emissions by 2050. It is considered to prove both the viability of Amogy’s technology and the potential of ammonia as a carbon-free maritime fuel.
Seonghoon Woo, Amogy CEO and co-founder said: “Governments across the globe and industry organisations like the IMO have set aggressive goals to reduce global carbon emissions. These goals seem daunting, but they’re necessary – and our successful demonstration of the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered vessel proves that they’re achievable. By demonstrating our technology on the water for the first time, we’ve gained invaluable knowledge that will help us move quickly to commercialisation and real-world applications. The opportunity to decarbonise the maritime industry is within reach, and for Amogy, it’s just the beginning.”
Successfully sailing the NH3 Kraken is the largest and most significant application of Amogy’s technology to date. Amogy will apply knowledge gained from this demonstration to real-world applications of its technology, including both retrofit projects and newbuilds. The company is already working on contracts signed and in progress with organisations such as Hanwha Ocean, Terox, and others.
Amogy’s patented ammonia-to-electrical power system splits, or ‘cracks’, liquid ammonia into its base elements of hydrogen and nitrogen. The hydrogen is then funnelled into a fuel cell, generating high-performance power with zero carbon emissions. This technology offers a sustainable, clean energy solution, tailored for hard-to-abate sectors like maritime. During this demonstration, the NH3 Kraken was fuelled with green ammonia, produced entirely with renewable energy, further reducing its carbon footprint.
The global shipping industry emits close to 1 billion tons of greenhouse gasses per year, equivalent to the emissions of a G7 country like Germany or Japan. The successful voyage of the NH3 Kraken validates the vast potential ammonia holds for transforming the shipping industry, and other sources of power generation in the future.
Woo continued: “Ammonia is the world’s second most produced chemical, with around 20m tons moving around the globe through 200 ports each year. With that track record, shifting the industry mindset to use it as a fuel is completely achievable, and can happen at an accelerated pace.”
Amogy plans to release a case study providing additional technical details in the coming months.
Image: ‘NH3 Kraken’, Amogy’s carbon-free, ammonia-powered tugboat (credit: Business Wire)
