Alternative Fuels

DNV: Green ammonia a ‘key ingredient’ to decarbonise maritime industry

‘Singapore is in a very good position to play a key role in the decarbonisation of the global maritime industry,’ believes Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria of DNV.

Published

4 years ago

January 10, 2022

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Vessels on anchorage at Singapore Nikos Spaeth MT

The following article was published by Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, DNV Maritime through the social media platform LinkedIn on Monday (10 January):

The recent COP26 summit in Glasgow made it crystal clear that shipping is heading for carbon zero, but the route there is far from it. The grand challenge of our time remains: how to fuel the maritime industry’s transition to a carbon neutral future?

This is a question Singapore has prioritized as part of its green transition.

Why?

It is the world’s largest bunkering hub. It imports all the gas it needs to power households and the economy. And the strategically located island state has always been looking into the future to keep a leading edge.

In my view, Singapore is in a very good position to play a key role in the decarbonization of the global maritime industry. An important step was the establishment of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), in which DNV readily agreed to become a founding partner.

The Centre and its partners have now started to explore a portfolio of alternative fuels and strategies that will hopefully enable shipping globally to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

New fuels on the horizon include sustainable biofuels, biodiesel, bio-LNG, methanol, hydrogen, and ammonia, amongst others.

However, they “must be greener than the incumbent fuels, have a lower carbon life cycle, otherwise it would be a waste of resources to venture into such investments, as it will not reduce the overall carbon/GHG burden on the environment,” rightly notes GCMD Chief Technology Officer Dr Sanjay Kuttan.

GCMD picked ammonia as the first fuel to take a closer look into and commissioned a technical evaluation to define the safety and operational envelopes for ammonia bunkering in Singapore.

So, we must ask ourselves, how viable is ammonia and is it safe enough for widespread use as a marine fuel in Singapore, or anywhere, for that matter?

From our own studies and from pilot programmes conducted in Europe in particular, ammonia comes clean as an ideal marine fuel, as it provides better energy performance than hydrogen and it’s on a par with LNG.

Not only does ammonia burn CO₂-free, like hydrogen, but it has a higher energy density and is easier to store and transport than hydrogen, as it doesn’t require cryogenic – or ultra-cool – storage.

But what about green ammonia? How is it produced and where does it come from?

We know that it is currently going through marine fuel trials in Europe and Japan, and we see that one of the best Asia Pacific sources for green ammonia (and/or green hydrogen) could be Australia, as it is already a major supplier of LNG.

Green ammonia can be produced from green hydrogen, a well-established renewable energy source. Australia already has plans for major green hydrogen plants. In addition, ammonia is widely used there in agriculture, most commonly as a fertiliser.

We’re encouraged to see that the International Energy Agency (IEA) rates green ammonia highly as a shipping fuel for the future. In its Net Zero Emissions Scenario, IEA shows that green ammonia could meet around 45% of global shipping fuel demand by 2050. It also sees it as the lowest cost option as an alternative fuel for the future.

Another advantage for liquid fuels like hydrogen or ammonia is that they can safely be used alongside LNG during the transition phase. We also know that ship engines are being designed in Europe to accommodate ammonia, as an onboard fuel, alongside LNG.

Trials in Norway, for example, have shown that ammonia can be safely deployed even in passenger vessels and the researchers clearly could not identify any “incomprehensible technical or safety barriers”.

The decarbonization process for the global maritime industry is not going to be easy. I know there are challenges, but I see considerable opportunities.

With the right level of commitment and concentrated effort, ammonia could replace LNG as the predominant alternative shipping fuel in the future, with significant scaling after 2030.

But, of course, we must continue to consider – and put to the test – a whole range of alternatives fuels and strategies.

As our Maritime Forecast to 2050 says, it’s equally important to keep in mind a number of essential measures towards maritime industry decarbonization, including greater energy efficiency, fuel flexibility and weighing up all Fuel Ready solutions.

When all is said and done, in the words of our DNV Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, “the true fuel of the future is collaboration”.

Photo credit: Nikos Spaeth
Source: LinkedIn
Published: 11 January, 2022

LNG Bunkering

2026 ESG Report: Singapore-based EPS completes 530 LNG bunkering operations

EPS said from the start of recorded data to 31 Dec 2025, the company completed a total of 530 LNG bunkering operations with over 2.4 million m3 of LNG bunkered.

Published

14 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Admin

2026 ESG Report: Singapore-based EPS completes 530 LNG bunkering operations

Singapore-headquartered shipping firm Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) on Monday (29 June) said from the start of recorded data to 31 Dec 2025, the company completed a total of 530 LNG bunkering operations with over 2.4 million cubic meters (m3) of LNG bunkered.

In its 2026 ESG Report, the company said it continued advancing practical decarbonisation through its dual-fuel fleet expansion, alternative fuels, wind-assisted propulsion, and digital optimisation initiatives, alongside strengthened emissions reporting and third-party assurance.

With over 170 vessels designed to operate on alternative fuels, EPS said its fleet is among the largest dual-fuel fleets in the industry. In 2025, 25% of the fuel consumed by EPS fleet were alternative marine fuels, including LNG, LPG, ethane, and biofuels.

In 2025, EPS also expanded its use of B100 biodiesel, a renewable fuel derived from sustainably sourced biomass such as used cooking oil, food waste, and agricultural residues, which offers increasing global availability and compatibility with existing marine engines while delivering substantial Well-to-Wake (WtW) emission reductions relative to conventional fossil fuels under certified supply chains.

In 2025 alone, 94% of the biofuel the company purchased were B100 grade. Cumulatively, from the start of recorded data to 31 Dec 2025, EPS has completed 61 biofuel bunkering operations with over 33,000 mt of biofuel.

The use of alternative fuels has lowered its emission by 464,610 mt of CO2e relative to conventional marine fuels, and it is equivalent to 9% of its entire Scope 1 emission.

The company added that its investments in wind-assisted propulsion systems, alternative fuels, digital optimisation and operational efficiency reinforced its long-term decarbonisation strategy.

Since 2018, EPS has invested significantly in maritime decarbonisation, committing at scale to LNG as a transition fuel while progressively deploying a broad range of sustainable solutions across both legacy vessels and newbuild programmes, including ammonia-fuelled vessel orders.

As at the end of 2025, EPS had invested approximately USD 2.6 billion across 15 green projects, with over 51% of the fleet designed to operate on alternative fuels such as LNG, LPG, ethane and ammonia.

Photo credit: Eastern Pacific Shipping
Published: 30 June, 2026

Alternative Fuels

Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine orders Mitsubishi Shipbuilding ammonia fuel handling system

MAmmoSS® will be designed and optimised to be compatible with the ammonia marine engines of Everllence SE and WinGD and will be used for shop tests of both engines after delivery to HZME’s facility.

Published

14 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Admin

Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine orders Mitsubishi Shipbuilding ammonia fuel handling system

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, on Friday (26 June) said it has received an order from Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine (HZME) for its MAmmoSS® ammonia fuel handling system.

HZME is a dual licensee of Everllence SE and WinGD, major licensors of marine engines. MAmmoSS® will be designed and optimized to be compatible with the ammonia marine engines of these two licensors, and after delivery to HZME’s facility, will be used for shop tests of both engines.

The company said decarbonisation in global shipping is a critical issue, and ammonia, which does not emit CO2 when burned, is attracting attention as a next-generation marine fuel that will significantly contribute to reducing GHG emissions in the shipping industry.

“However, as ammonia is a toxic fluid, safe handling technology onboard ships is essential and is expected to drive demand for MAmmoSS®,” it said.

Going forward, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding said it will continue to provide safe and reliable products for ammonia-fuelled vessels to support the expected market expansion.

Photo credit: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding
Published: 30 June, 2026

Port & Regulatory

US lawmakers reintroduce bill to develop clean shipping technology and infrastructure

Legislation would create a USD 1 billion per year programme to develop the next generation of clean shipping technology and infrastructure such as zero-emission ships and cleaner marine fuels.

Published

14 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Admin

US Representatives Nanette Barragán and Troy A. Carter, Sr., along with Senator Chris Van Hollen, on Friday (26 June) reintroduced the Next Generation Shipping Act.

The legislation would create a USD 1 billion per year programme through the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to develop the next generation of clean shipping technology and infrastructure.

The lawmakers said the bill would help to address harmful pollution that comes from the shipping industry, a major but often unrecognised source of greenhouse gas emissions and port pollution.

Through the development and usage of new technologies— such as zero-emission ships, cleaner marine fuels, and better port equipment— the programme seeks to protect the health of port and coastal communities, and help the US reduce its climate pollution.

They added that the bill would also help the United States keep up with other countries in Europe and Asia that are already investing heavily in clean shipping technology. The bill would ensure that the U.S. leads in the future of shipping, rather than rely on technology from other countries.

“Shipping plays a vital role in our economy, and at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, but it should not come at the expense of the health of our families,” said Rep. Barragán.

“The Next Generation Shipping Act is about investing in cleaner technologies, supporting American jobs, making sure the United States leads in the future of maritime innovation, all while making sure we do so in a way that preserves public health. By acting now, we can protect our communities, strengthen our economy, and build a more sustainable shipping industry for generations to come.”

“The Next Generation Shipping Act is forward-thinking legislation that will help revitalise the U.S. maritime industry and boost our economic competitiveness. As the federal government looks to expand commercial shipbuilding capacity, the U.S. must invest in cleaner ships and technologies to compete globally,” said Antonio Santos, Federal Climate Policy Director, Pacific Environment.

“The bill provides much-needed funding to position the US to be a leader in the development of next-generation vessel technologies and sustainable maritime fuels, while creating good-paying jobs and supporting workforce training. We thank Representative Barragán, Representative Carter, and Senator Van Hollen for introducing this important legislation and call on Congress to pass this bill to spur the market for building the advanced ships of the future.”

Photo credit: william william on Unsplash
Published: 30 June, 2026