ClassNK gives green light to Japanese trio’s ammonia FSRB concept

A floating storage and regasification barge (FSRB) for ammonia, jointly developed by Japanese shipping majors NYK Line, Nihon Shipyard, and IHI Corporation, has been approved in principle by ClassNK.

PHOTO: Prototype of an ammonia floating storage and regasification unit. NYK Line

According to ClassNK, it is the first approval in principle (AIP) for floating storage and regasification barge dedicated to ammonia.

FSRBs are vessels that can transport, store, and regasify ammonia. As the ammonia leaves the production area, it is transported to the floating vessel in a liquid state and stored on board. The ammonia is then heated onboard, converted into a gas and delivered onshore via a pipeline.

ClassNK has cited the three companies as saying that “the ammonia-FSRB offers the advantages of shorter construction time and lower costs, in comparison to the construction of onshore storage tanks and regasification plants.”

FSRB represents an innovative concept in the ammonia supply chain due to its portability. It will be instrumental in expanding ammonia storage and fuel handling infrastructure by providing an offshore floating facility that can be moved around and off coasts.

“The ammonia FSRB is expected to speed up the adoption of fuel ammonia and contribute to its wider use as a lower-environmental-impact next-generation fuel,” says NYK Line.

Ammonia is becoming an increasingly popular choice as a bunker fuel due to its relative ease of storage, transportation, and efficiency compared to other alternative marine fuels with zero-carbon potential.

Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon has estimated the shipping sector’s ammonia demand to hit 100 million mt by 2040, while the International Energy Agency estimate that ammonia can meet 45% of global bunker demand by 2050 in a net-zero CO2 emissions scenario for global shipping.

In the past year, two similar announcements were made concerning floating storage and regasification units for ammonia. A concept study on an ammonia-floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) was conducted by Japanese shipping majors Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and Hyundai Heavy Industries and Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering announced plans to build one for Korea National Oil Corp.

By Konica Bhatt

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