Pherousa pilots onboard ammonia cracking tech for commercial shipping

Norwegian technology company Pherousa is working with a consortium of partners to scale up its onboard ammonia cracking technology for commercial use on any ship type.

IMAGE: Illustration of Pherousa's ultramax bulk carrier featuring onboard ammonia cracking technology. Pherousa

The system enables vessels to produce hydrogen onboard by converting liquid ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen through “ammonia cracking.”

Pherousa Shipping, a subsidiary of Pherousa, is developing a series of ultramax bulk carriers equipped with the technology. Before finalising the ultramax designs, the company is marinizing and scaling the technology to a pilot system exceeding 250 kilowatts (kW).

Pherousa holds an exclusive license from German energy technology firm Metacon, which owns 35% of Pherousa, for maritime applications of the ammonia cracking technology. The initial 10 kW prototype successfully demonstrated the system, and it is now being scaled into a modular marine pilot.

This pilot will first be installed on a host ship, and once validated, the technology will be scaled to megawatt capacity by 2028–2029.

Key project partners include Australian mining company BHP Group, ammonia fuel producers Engie and Mejillones Ammonia Energy (MAE), Singapore-based Berge Bulk, classification societies ABS and DNV, and Finnish ship designer Deltamarin.

In March, Pherousa secured approvals from ABS and DNV for its onboard ammonia cracking system.

By Tuhin Roy

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