January 26, 2022
The Global Center for Marine Decarbonization (GCMD), which brings together public entities and companies based in Singapore, awarded its study on the security of ammonia supply to a consortium led by DNV. DNV, a globally established class society, partnering with Surbana Jurong and the Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA). Surbana Jurong's knowledge of the local market will be critical in identifying ammonia supply sites. The SMA, which is part of the Singapore Polytechnic, will assist in the development of the workforce curriculum and the handling of ammonia as a fuel.
On October 8, 2021, GCMD announced its first call for proposals"Definition of operational and safety conditions to allow fueling with ammonia" to a short list of classification societies and engineering consultants, and received a great response after its closure. The evaluation of the proposals was carried out by a team composed of industry experts with extensive experience and knowledge in this field, and by the GCMD project team.
Forerunner of the ammonia supply demonstration in Singapore, the purpose of this study is define a robust set of safety guidelines and operational envelopes that will establish the basis of a regulatory environment for testing at two local fueling locations. Handling ammonia as a fuel will require more stringent safety and operational guidelines compared to transporting ammonia as a commodity, given the substantially higher transfer frequency and the need for more flexible transfer configurations. This study will build on the guidelines that have been developed for the safe handling of ammonia as a commodity, defining and then integrating or superimposing the necessary guidelines for the safe handling of ammonia as aviation fuel.
Although carried out in Singapore, this study can be calibrated to site-specific operating conditions to help advance the deployment of green ammonia as a bunker fuel elsewhere.
"As with any new bunker fuel, there are safety and operational challenges associated with its use. GCMD has decided to study ammonia bunkering as its first project because ammonia is one of the most environmentally efficient fuels. This study to define the safety and operating conditions of ammonia bunkering is essential for its eventual adoption anywhere. We have chosen to commission this study in Singapore, as this is an island country with a high population density and an important center bunkering, the strict guidelines developed in this study will likely be extensible to other ports.
Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD
"Our research shows that a number of safety gaps can disrupt the speed and success of shipping's energy transition. The safe handling of ammonia - one of the most promising fuels of the future - is one of those gaps that must be urgently closed. , given the threat it poses to seafarers and ships if not managed properly. We are therefore delighted to partner with Surbana Jurong and the Singapore Maritime Academy on this pioneering initiative, which we hope will lay the foundation for robust guidelines of security for the supply of ammonia with applicability throughout the sector".
Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime,
Prior to the award of this study, GCMD signed letters of collaboration with 21 industry partners who have agreed to share sensitive technical information with the consortium in order to make a robust set of recommendations to regulators. In addition, more than 30 organizations from across the supply chain have signed up to be part of the Industry Alignment and Consultation Panel (iCAP), created by the center to solicit input on the study's recommendations.
