NYK to modify LNG tugboat to run on ammonia

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) has contracted tugboat builder Keihin Dock to convert its LNG-powered tugboat Sakigake to run on ammonia by 2024.

PHOTO: LNG-fuelled tugboat Sakigake. NYK Line

The tugboat will operate in the Japanese port of Yokohama, it says.

It is part of NYK’s plan to develop vessels with domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engines. NYK says ammonia has a great potential to reduce emissions from the shipping industry as it does not emit carbon dioxide during combustion.

Engine manufacturers been working to develop ammonia-ready engines for not just smaller tugboats, but also larger vessels for deep-sea voyages.

German engine maker MAN Energy Solutions is developing a two-stroke ammonia engine for large-scale container ships, which it expects to be ready by 2024.

Finland's Wartsila is developing four-stroke and two-stroke ammonia-fueled ship engines for 2023 and 2025, respectively. Its so-called Ammonia 2-4 project has secured funding from the European Union.