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

5 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

Methanol

China: Xiamen issues safety guidelines for methanol bunkering operations

New guidelines establish safety requirements across the full methanol bunkering process, supporting the expansion of green marine fuel supplies at Xiamen Port.

Published

18 hours ago

August 13, 2026

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Xiamen Free Trade Zone on Monday (10 August) said its Administrative Committee recently jointly issued the Safety Guidelines for Marine Methanol Fuel Bunkering in Xiamen Waters with Xiamen Port Authority and Xiamen Maritime Safety Administration, establishing a framework for methanol bunkering operations in the port.

The guidelines are the first safety operating standard in Fujian province specifically covering marine methanol fuel bunkering. They apply to methanol bunkering operations conducted by bunker vessels in Xiamen waters and set out safety requirements covering the entire operation, from preparation through completion.

The guidelines specify requirements for bunkering companies, equipment and materials used on bunker vessels, hose inspection intervals, personnel certification and personal protective equipment.

They also require operators to conduct dedicated risk assessments and prepare emergency response plans before operations begin. During bunkering, operators must maintain continuous monitoring and comply with specified weather restrictions. After completion, pipelines must undergo procedures including purging and inerting.

Xiamen Port has previously carried out ship-to-ship bunkering of biofuels and LNG. The new guidelines provide a regulatory framework and operational basis for methanol bunkering and are intended to support the safe and orderly conduct of such operations.

The move is also expected to help Xiamen Port expand its market and bunkering capacity for green marine fuels.

Photo credit: Woo Winter on Unsplash
Published: 13 August, 2026

Alternative Fuels

South Korea’s Polaris Shipping orders tri-fuel bulk carriers for Vale charter deal

Bulk carriers, which will be delivered sequentially from 2031, will be equipped with WinGD-developed engines capable of using methanol, ethanol and heavy fuel oil as marine fuels.

Published

18 hours ago

August 13, 2026

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South Korea’s Polaris Shipping orders tri-fuel bulk carriers for Vale charter deal

South Korean shipowner Polaris Shipping recently said it has signed a newbuilding contract for four tri-fuel vessels with Chinese shipbuilder Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry on 4 August.

The 210,000-dwt Newcastlemax bulk carriers, which will be delivered sequentially from 2031, will be equipped with WinGD-developed engines capable of using methanol, ethanol and heavy fuel oil as marine fuels.

The vessels are also designed as LNG- and ammonia-ready ships, allowing them to be converted to LNG or ammonia propulsion in the future.

Polaris Shipping also plans to significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by applying various energy-saving technologies, including wind-assist propulsion systems, rotor sails, departure optimisation and land-based systems, to the vessels.

Polaris Shipping has completed a 25-year long-term charter contract for the bulk carriers with Brazilian iron ore producer Vale.

Polaris Shipping plans to sign construction contracts for up to four additional 210,000-dwt eco-friendly Newcastlemax bulk carriers with Chinese shipbuilder Hengli Heavy Industries in the near future. The Newcastlemax bulk carriers ordered from Hengli will be built as high-efficiency, environmentally friendly vessels to replace the company’s existing older bulk carriers.

Photo credit: Polaris Shipping
Published: 13 August, 2026

LNG Bunkering

Axpo and Vitol debut LNG bunkering operation at Italy’s largest cruise port

“Green Pearl”, a 7,500 m³ Italian bunkering vessel operated by Axpo, safely conducted the ship-to-ship refuelling operation on Sunday morning at Civitavecchia’s berth 18.

Published

18 hours ago

August 13, 2026

Admin

Axpo and Vitol debut LNG bunkering operation at Italy’s largest cruise port

Switzerland’s energy producer Axpo on Wednesday (12 August) said it has completed the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation with Vitol at the Port of Civitavecchia in Italy, refuelling a flagship vessel of a leading international cruise line.

The company said Italy’s premier cruise port and Europe’s second largest now joins Genoa and Naples in offering LNG bunkering services.

“This represents an important milestone in the development of infrastructure and services for alternative maritime fuels in Italian ports,” Axpo said.

Green Pearl, a 7,500 m³ Italian bunkering vessel operated by Axpo, safely conducted the ship-to-ship refuelling operation on Sunday morning at Civitavecchia’s berth 18. Operated by Axpo, Green Pearl was brought into service in 2026 and is dedicated to ship-to-ship and ship-to-truck bunkering operations in Italian ports.

Axpo Italia CEO Simone Demarchi, said: “This latest operation shows the ability of our supply chain to grow rapidly and meet the needs of leading international cruise lines. Over the coming years, the shipping and cruise sectors will be called upon to accelerate their decarbonisation journey. Today, LNG is one of the most substantial and readily available solutions to help support this transition.”

Vitol Head of Small Scale LNG & LNG Bunkering Stefan Dubbeldam, added: “LNG and bio-LNG have a key role to play in reducing emissions from bunkering. Vitol is globally invested throughout the value chain, from upstream bio-LNG and LNG production and offtake, through to solutions for customers through our LNG Bunker Vessel fleet.”

The extension of Axpo’s coverage to Civitavecchia, the primary seaport for Rome, follows the launch of LNG ship-to-ship bunkering at Genoa in late 2025 and Naples in May this year.

In addition to Green Pearl, the company has also chartered Alisios LNG, a new 12,500 m³ capacity bunkering vessel for low-emission fuels, which became operational in Spain last March.

Photo credit: Axpo
Published: 13 August, 2026