The Week in Alternative Fuels
Here are some of the key developments in alternative bunker fuels from the past week.
PHOTO: Model of SDARI's PCTC design. DNV
Norwegian fertiliser company Yara International has pre-ordered 15 floating ammonia bunkering terminals that will be rolled out as barge and onshore terminals across Scandinavia.
Shipping classification society DNV has approved the first Chinese design of an ammonia-fuelled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC).
Australian energy firm Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) says it will supply five million mt/year of green hydrogen to Europe by 2030.
Maersk has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements with four Egyptian authorities to explore prospects for scaling up green marine fuel production in the country, including hydrogen produced from "abundant" solar and wind power sources.
Newly launched bunker supplier KEYS Bunkering West Japan (KEYS) intends to offer LNG bunker supply to ships in Japan’s western Kyushu and Setouchi regions by 2024.
Swedish shipping company Erik Thun has signed a contract with Chinese Jinling Shipyard for a 18,000 dwt tanker that can run on LNG and liquified biogas.
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping partnered with port authorities in Rotterdam, Hamburg, Gdynia, Roenne and Tallinn to establish a European Green Corridor Network without narrowing the project down to any specific alternative fuels.
Here are the top five stories in alternative fuels this week:
Yara plans to offer ammonia bunkering in Scandinavia by 2024
Yara International has pre-ordered 15 floating ammonia bunkering terminals which will be delivered by Norwegian technology company Azane Fuel Solutions.
Yara says it will draw on its large capacity to produce ammonia and expertise in handling it to deliver green ammonia to the shipping industry.
The bunker terminals can be set up either as barges or on shore. They will have storage tanks and processing capacity to handle and transfer the fuel safely.
The terminals will be able to carry out both loading and unloading to and from ships as well trucks efficiently, says Yara.
DNV approves Chinese ammonia-powered vessel design
The vessel has been designed by China’s Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) and will have a capacity to carry 7,000 car-equivalent units (CEUs).
The design is modelled on a previously launched LNG-fuelled PCTC. It will include hybrid and shore power technology, and is compliant to NOx Tier III emissions, says DNV.
Hydrogen deal struck with aim of lessening European dependence on Russian energy
FFI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with European energy network and infrastructure operator E.ON that spans a research partnership and plans to decarbonise “thousands” of mid-sized businesses in German, Dutch and other European cities.
They argue that Australian hydrogen can help solve two challenges in one: decarbonise some of Europe’s energy needs, and lessen its dependence on Russian fossil fuels “as quickly as possible.”
A third of Germany’s energy imports from Russia can be replaced by 5 million mt/year of green hydrogen on a calorific energy basis, they say.
Germany has found itself at the mercy of Russian policymakers after years of strengthening trade links through imports of Russian gas, crude and oil products.
FFI says its hydrogen is produced with 100% renewable and zero-carbon energy sources. It expects to produce 15 million mt/year of green hydrogen by 2030, and ramp this up to 50 million mt/year by 2040.
FFI has also unveiled hydrogen projects in New Zealand, Brazil and India in the past year, as well as export intension deals with Japanese companies.
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center to develop green European shipping corridors
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping partnered with port authorities in Rotterdam, Hamburg, Gdynia, Roenne and Tallinn to establish a European Green Corridor Network.
With this collaboration Mærsk Mc-Kinney intends to demonstrate that alternative bunker fuel supply chains are commercially viable and in support of first movers. Similar corridors can be rolled out to other regions in time, it says.
A pre-feasibility study will be conducted to identify potential routes, vessel types and fuels with decarbonisation which will be applied in these green corridors.
Mærsk will then assess the technical and regulatory viability of the chosen routes.
The routes, or green corridors, will subequently be rolled out across Northern Europe and in the Baltic Sea region.
KEYS to offer LNG bunkering in Japan from 2024
KEYS has ordered its first LNG bunker vessel from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, to be completed by March 2024. The company is a joint venture established by Japanese utility, trading, shipping and gas firms.
The LNG will be supplied from the Saibu Gas - Hibiki LNG Terminal, which also has a stake in KEYS' business.
