American Bureau of Shipping, A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S, Fleet Management Limited, Georgia Ports Authority, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Savage Services, Sumitomo Corporation and TOTE Services agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly conduct a feasibility study.
These companies aim to establish a comprehensive and competitive supply chain for the provision of green ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering on the United States East Coast. Specifically, this study will be conducted at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, US.
Ammonia, which does not emit any CO2 when combusted, has long been considered one of the most promising alternative marine fuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) direct emissions within the shipping industry.
According to the report, this aligns with the current International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy to halve emissions by 2050, which is currently under revision and will hopefully become a strategy for achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Moreover, ammonia produced solely from renewable sources, also known as “green ammonia,” is carbon-free and can deliver great environmental benefits.
The Study aims to cover the entire end-to-end supply chain of ammonia bunkering, which includes the development of a cost-effective green ammonia supply chain, the design of an Ammonia Bunkering Articulated Tug-Barge (AB-ATB), as well as related supply chain infrastructure.
“Ammonia offers shipowners and operators a zero-carbon, tank-to-wake emissions profile,” said Panos Koutsourakis, vice president of Global Sustainability at the American Bureau of Shipping. “Yet, we also recognise that ammonia presents a specific set of safety and technology challenges. We look forward to engaging with the other project members and sharing our industry-leading experience with ammonia-fueled vessels to support the study.”
