Mitsubishi Heavy Industries joins ammonia shipping fuel project

LONDON (ICIS)–Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) on Wednesday announced plans to participate in a newly launched project to develop guidelines for the safe usage of ammonia (NH3) as a shipping fuel.

The project is led by The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, a Copenhagen-based research institute created to promote decarbonisation of the maritime shipping industry

MHI will participate as a founding partner of the centre, mainly through two group companies: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co.

Project collaboration will also include British ship classification society Lloyd’s Register Group (LR), with organisers seeking to decarbonise the maritime shipping industry through safe usage of ammonia as a shipping fuel.

“Green ammonia is created by water electrolysis using a carbon-free production process employing renewable energy,” MHI said in a news release.

“Although green ammonia results in zero carbon emissions, it is highly toxic. To introduce green ammonia as a safe and sustainable marine fuel, it is vital to draw up safety guidelines for its usage, including implementation of specific assessments of its safety for humans, ship assets and the environment.

“By integrating its own experience with ammonia carriers and ammonia production plants, [… MHI] will contribute to accelerating the safe adoption of ammonia as an alternative shipping fuel, to the further expansion of marine logistics, and to mitigating environmental impact, a global challenge.”

According to the research institute, the shipping industry generates about 3% of global Co2 emissions each year, with the sector requiring an estimated $3tr investment over the next 50 decades to decarbonise completely.