CLASSIFICATION society ClassNK has issued an approval in principle for an ammonia fuel supply system for oil tanker and container ship developed by Samsung Heavy Industries.
According to ClassNK, ammonia is expected to be used as a ship fuel for decarbonisation since it does not emit carbon dioxide when burnt.
However, because ammonia is toxic and corrosive, adequate safety measures are imperative in systems that use it as a fuel.
ClassNK has been involved in projects aiming for zero-emission ships using ammonia fuel.
The society and has issued its Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels as a standard to minimise risks related to ammonia fuelled ships for the ships, crews, and environment by stipulating requirements for installation, controls, and safety devices.
ClassNK carried out a review of a conceptual design of the system developed by SHI based on part of its guidelines. Upon confirming they comply with the prescribed requirements, ClassNK issued the AiP.
Samsung Heavy Industries head of shipbuilding sales engineering team Dong-Joo Kim said: “We are happy to collaborate with ClassNK in this important design development and believe this AiP award demonstrates SHI’s readiness for the new ammonia shipping market that is coming from global decarbonisation demands.”
ClassNK corporate officer Masaki Matsunaga said: “It is a great honour to be involved in the SHI’s initiatives to expand industry options for greener shipping by conducting safety assessment on its ammonia fuel supply system, which has resulted in AiP.”
