Ammonia-powered fuel cell design gets Norwegian Maritime Authority nod

The EU-funded ShipFC project and its partner, Norway-based shipping firm Eidesvik, have received an approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) to retrofit a vessel with an ammonia-powered fuel cell system.

PHOTO: Eidesvik's LNG-fuelled platform supply vessel Viking Energy. Wärtsilä

The partners of this project will retrofit Eidesvik's LNG-fuelled platform supply vessel (PSV), Viking Energy, with an ammonia fuel system and a large 2MW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system.

The modifications will allow the vessel to sail longer distances without greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, “demonstrating that long-range zero-carbon emission voyages with high power on larger ships are possible,” the ShipFC project claimed.

Ammonia-powered fuel cells can help decarbonise smaller vessels and boats, but they have not yet achieved the technological breakthrough needed to power large ocean-going vessels.

“This is one of the few vessels that have progressed this far in the approval process with us,” Ivar Ingvaldsen from the Norwegian Maritime Authority’s section of new maritime technology said.

The ShipFC project is being run by a consortium of 14 European companies and institutions and coordinated by Norway-based organisation Maritime CleanTech.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online