SOME of the maritime industry’s big players have joined together in a new memorandum of understanding, in order to enhance the design of container vessel to accommodate ammonia dual-fuel operation.
Lloyd’s Register (LR), Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI), and MAN Energy Solutions, and the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) are the names involved in the new MoU which will focus on the 8200 TEU vessel.
The MoU is the continuation of a joint development project which started in May 2023, aimed to further develop the technical and operational feasibility of ammonia fuel for the SDARI design vessel under construction in China.
According to LR, this second phase looks to adopt the upcoming interim guidelines from the IMO for ammonia as fuel, due later this month, to enhance and mature the design.
The first MoU saw a technical specification and associated design developed for an ammonia fuel variant of SDARI’s twin island 8200 TEU container ship design, a process that was augmented by a multi-stakeholder risk-based certification approach.
For this phase of the project, SDARI will prepare the consolidated specifications and design documentation of the ammonia dual-fuel variant, while LR and LISCR will verify that the design conforms with safety standards and rules relating to the usage of ammonia as a marine fuel.
Head of newbuilding at MSC, Giuseppe Gargiulo said the company was pleased to continue its strong working relationship in this important project to develop and test the feasibility of an ammonia-fuelled containership.
“MSC is committed to sustainability and exploring different alternative fuel options and if they can be safely adopted and the impact they will have on vessel operation.”
Nick Gross, container ship segment director at LR said, “Leveraging our collective expertise and using LR’s extensive experience in certifying ammonia powered designs, this project is making significant steps forward to achieving a sustainable containership network and ocean supply chain”.
Representatives of SDARI, MAN Energy, and the Liberian Registry echoed the sentiments about working towards decarbonisation in shipping, and sustainable maritime solutions.
