Equinor to use world’s first ammonia-powered supply ship

Peter Tubaas / Equinor

NORWEGIAN oil major Equinor has given the greenlight for one of its supply vessels to become the first in the world converted to run on ammonia fuel, in a push for cleaner shipping.

Finnish engineering firm Wärtsilä will build a new engine for the Viking Energy supply ship so it can run on 70% ammonia, 29% LNG and 1% marine gas oil. The ship currently runs on just LNG and marine gas oil. When it restarts operations in 2026 using ammonia produced from renewable energy, it will reduce its emissions by 70%.

Green ammonia can be produced by combining nitrogen with hydrogen produced by splitting water using solar energy or wind power. Ammonia then burns without producing any CO2 emissions.

“We have an ambition to halve the maritime emissions associated with our Norwegian operations by 2030,” said Ørjan Kvelvane, Equinor's senior vice-president for joint operations support. The ship is owned by contractor Eidesvik Offshore and is one of around 35 supply vessels supporting Equinor’s offshore operations in the region.

The project involves Wärtsilä installing the new engine, a fuel gas supply system, and exhaust after-treatment. Until now, the engine has only been tested in a laboratory.

The conversion is central to the EU’s Apollo Project which will demonstrate the full technical maturity and commercial readiness of ammonia engines for waterborne transport. The Viking Energy conversion will help the research programme achieve the goals of completely retrofitting a ship to operate on ammonia, and then transfer the technology to other areas of shipping focused on dredging and offshore construction. It will also provide evidence to support the expansion of the ammonia bunkering network in the North Sea.

Safety is a key challenge

Ammonia is an attractive fuel for shipping as it burns cleanly, significantly reduces SOx and particulate matter emissions, and is already produced and transported at large scale as an input for the fertiliser and chemical industries.

However, its use does come with safety implications as ammonia is toxic and risks onboard fires and explosions. A risk analysis published by Lloyd’s Register made several recommendations to reduce the risk of using ammonia as a shipping fuel.

It called for the installation of multiple sensors of various types to detect ammonia leaks; the use of lower storage temperatures to reduce the safety risk from ammonia fuel; and that the fuel system should have the capability to be rapidly shut down both automatically and manually in the event of a leak.

Despite its widespread use in the fertiliser and chemical industries, much more investment will be needed if green ammonia is to help the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reach its goal of net zero international shipping by 2050.

A study published earlier this year by Oxford University researchers estimated that around US$2trn of investment is needed to transition to a green ammonia fuel supply chain by 2050.

“Compared to the existing supply network of shipping fuel based from oil, the future ammonia fuel supply is more regional, with large producers being those with good solar resources and close to major shipping hubs,” said Jim Hall, programme lead at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute.