MHI helping develop ammonia safety guidelines

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will help develop guidelines for the safe usage of ammonia (NH3) as a shipping fuel.

The project is led by The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, a research institute created to promote decarbonization of the maritime shipping industry. MHI will participate as a founding partner of the center, mainly through two group companies: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co. Project collaboration will also include Lloyd’s Register, the British ship classification society, the ultimate aim being to decarbonize the maritime shipping industry through safe usage of ammonia as a shipping fuel. Use of ammonia as a shipping fuel is seen as a potential long-term solution for marine logistics amid the transition to a zero-carbon value chain in the maritime industry.

Green ammonia is created by water electrolysis using a carbon-free production process employing renewable energy. Although green ammonia results in zero carbon emissions, it is highly toxic. In order to introduce green ammonia as a safe and sustainable marine fuel, it is therefore vital to draw up safety guidelines for its usage, including implementation of specific assessments of its safety for humans, ship assets and the environment. Currently, the marine transport industry accounts for roughly 3% of the world’s carbon emissions, and as other industries progressively decarbonize, this percentage is quite likely to increase over the next several decades. Going forward, MHI Group, by integrating its own experience with ammonia carriers and ammonia production plants together with the knowledge and problem-solving experience to be accrued through its participation in the new project, will contribute to accelerating the safe adoption of ammonia as an alternative shipping fuel, to the further expansion of marine logistics, and to mitigating environmental impact, a global challenge.