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New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Safety insights for the adoption of ammonia as a marine fuel
25/6/2025
10 min read
Feature
The potential of ammonia as a marine fuel is finally being realised, but it will require multiple safety conditions to be satisfied, writes Rene Laursen, Director, Fuels and Technology, ABS.
Ammonia is one of several alternative fuels being evaluated by the maritime industry as a future decarbonisation solution, thanks to its potential as a zero-carbon fuel and a carrier for hydrogen fuel.
Already a globally traded commodity, much of the ammonia shipped today is consumed in agricultural applications. To date, approximately 50 ammonia-fuelled vessels, including LPG carriers, bulk carriers, tugs and containerships, have been ordered for delivery over the next three years.
Zero-carbon fuels like ammonia have great potential to lower the carbon footprint of shipping. However, to realise this potential, ammonia must be produced from renewable electricity instead of its traditional feedstocks of coal or natural gas. It is possible to reduce carbon emissions from the ammonia lifecycle using carbon capture systems in the production process, but zero emission well-to-wake solutions have yet to be developed at scale.