Itochu signs a deal to study safety issues related to ammonia bunkering

Japanese corporation Itochu has inked a deal with seven other companies to study ammonia bunkering safety for an ammonia-fuelled container ship.

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Under the agreement, the companies will analyse and study safety issues during ammonia bunkering of a container carrier that uses ammonia as a main fuel. The study intends to facilitate “the use of ammonia as a marine fuel in the shipping industry,” Itochu says.

The primary objective of this joint study is the “safety assessment for simultaneous operations of container cargo operations and ammonia bunkering in a container terminal, which is generally required for container carriers to achieve operational efficiencies,” Itochu adds.

The joint study will be carried out under the existing framework of two other studies, in which Itochu is also involved. The first study, launched in 2021, involves a 34-member initiative focused on exploring the utilisation of ammonia in shipping. The second study, initiated in 2022, consists of a 16-member initiative dedicated to investigating safety issues associated with ammonia bunkering.

Other members of the project include port authorities Algeciras Bay Port Authority and Port of Rotterdam, shipping majors CMA CGM, A.P.Moller Maersk A/S and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and energy companies Pavilion Energy Singapore and TotalEnergies Marine Fuels.

French HAROPA PORT, Singapore-based Maritime Energy & Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD) at Nanyang Technological University, German Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, and Japanese Nihon Shipyard will act as observers of the project.

Classification societies American Bureau of Shipping and Bureau Veritas will play the role of facilitators.

Itochu will use the findings from this study to accelerate the development of an ammonia-fueled bulk carrier.

In 2022, the company received approval from the Japanese classification society ClassNK for the design of an ammonia-fuelled ship. Itochu expects to bring the vessel to the market in the late 2020s.

“This MOU for Ammonia Bunkering Safety for Container Carrier is an important milestone for the social implementation of the use of ammonia as a marine fuel on a global scale,” Itochu concludes.

By Tuhin Roy

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