EPS makes ammonia-fuelled shipping debut

Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has taken delivery of an ammonia dual-fuel very large ammonia carrier (VLAC) built by South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.

IMAGE: Ammonia-capable VLAC, Terra Clove. Eastern Pacific Shipping

The 93,000-cbm Terra Clove is equipped to run on ammonia and conventional marine fuels.

EPS plans to bunker the vessel with green ammonia supplied by Lotte Fine Chemical in Ulsan to test the practicalities of using ammonia as a marine fuel. The green ammonia will be produced by Envision Energy.

The vessel is fitted with an Everllence two-stroke ammonia engine, which has been tested to operate on a fuel mix of 95% ammonia and 5% diesel pilot fuel. This means that running the vessel on green ammonia can significantly reduce its GHG emissions compared with conventional marine fuels.

“Preparing for ammonia-fuelled shipping requires more than the engine alone,” EPS chief executive Cyril Ducau said. “It requires the right vessel design, safety systems, operating procedures, infrastructure and, most importantly, trained and capable seafarers.”

Ammonia carriers account for the largest share of ammonia-capable vessels on order, with 18 of the 41 vessels in the global orderbook belonging to this segment, according to DNV data.

Belgian shipping company Exmar has already taken delivery of two ammonia dual-fuel carriers and has another two scheduled for delivery by next year.

One of the main reasons ammonia is an attractive fuel option for the segment is that ammonia carriers can use part of their cargo as propulsion fuel, reducing their dependence on dedicated ammonia bunkering infrastructure, Kristof Coppé, director at Exmar, told ENGINE.

By Konica Bhatt

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