Japanese bulk carrier to be built with MAN ES ammonia engine

Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding has ordered a dual-fuel ammonia engine from MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) for installation on a newbuild 200,000-dwt bulk carrier.

PHOTO: Testing of an ammonia-capable engine at the Copenhagen Research Centre. MAN Energy Solutions

The vessel is being built for a joint venture between Japanese companies Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), NS United and Itochu Corporation. The engine will be built by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding in Japan.

MAN ES started testing its two-stroke ammonia engine in June last year, the company's head of research and development Brian Østergaard Sørensen said.

The engine is expected to be launched commercially this year. MAN ES said it will follow up with a retrofit package by 2025 to convert existing vessels to ammonia propulsion.

K Line's ammonia-capable vessel is expected to be operational by 2026, it added.

Powering ships with ammonia

Ammonia needs a pilot fuel like diesel to ignite because its high auto-ignition temperature makes it difficult to burn readily or sustain combustion.

Initial combustion tests were conducted with 10-15% pilot fuel, MAN ES said on its website. The company intends to reduce the pilot fuel content down towards 5% in the future. 

Ammonia combustion can also emit stray ammonia emissions known as ammonia slip. Since ammonia is hazardous and toxic substance, the engine will feature an additional safety measure called ammonia catch system.

“The ammonia catch system and the addition of absorbers make sure that no ammonia will be vented to the atmosphere above 5 ppm [parts per million] at our Research Centre Copenhagen,” MAN ES said.

The engine will be equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

Ammonia’s success as a marine fuel “strongly relies on a safe introduction to the market," Thomas S. Hansen, head of sales and promotion at MAN ES said. Several ammonia engines will be monitored at sea to verify their performance before a full commercial release of the engine type, he added.

“In the short term, we expect a fast uptake of ammonia-fuelled engines towards the end of the decade as we obtain positive seagoing experience from the first engines. In the long term, we expect ammonia to comprise around 35% of fuel used onboard large merchant-marine vessels by 2050 due to lower production cost compared to other e-fuels relevant for large merchant-marine vessels,” Hansen concluded.

By Konica Bhatt

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