A NEW report on ammonia safety outlines considerations for limiting the toxicity risks of ammonia as a marine fuel, particularly for crews.
Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping studied the risks of ammonia together and released their recommendations in a report.
Recommendations for Design and Operation of Ammonia-Fuelled Vessels based on Multi-disciplinary Risk Analysis set out to assess risk mitigation measures in three ammonia-fuelled vessels: a containership, a tanker and a bulk carrier.
The report suggests the risks can only be mitigated if technical and operational safeguards are put in place and human factors are considered.
The decarbonisation centres said ammonia is seen as “one of the most promising” alternative fuels for the maritime energy transition but noted it could be hazardous as a marine fuel.
They believe the joint study has identified vessel design and operational measures that would reduce ammonia risks to a tolerable level.
LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub senior decarbonisation risk specialist Andy Franks said the shipping industry will need to manage more complex hazards as the global transition to alternative energy sources creates new safety challenges.
“Our approach to understanding and mitigating the risks of ammonia as a shipping fuel incorporates both a quantitative data-driven approach to ship design as well as a human factors approach to address crew safety,” he said.
“Through these two approaches we provide practical insights that will support the industry in managing safety risks to crew within published tolerable limits.”
Claus Winter Graugaard, chief technology officer, Onboard Vessel Solutions, at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center, said technological developments are necessary to enable scalable new energy pathways such as ammonia as a marine fuel.
“However, in the eagerness to transform, we must do so without compromising safety and reliability, by employing a strong risk-based change management approach,” he said.
“Care of our seafarers and strong safety management are imperative. This study has given us deep insights into risk and will provide critical understanding and intelligence to help guide the industry towards safe application of ammonia as a marine fuel.”
The decarbonisation centres used quantitative risk assessment analysis to inform recommendations for design and operation of ammonia-fuelled vessels to embed higher levels of safety for crew.
Recommendations included lower storage temperatures to reduce safety risk; provision for two or more separate spaces containing different groups of equipment that could leak ammonia; monitoring and minimising of access to and length of time spent in spaces containing ammonia equipment; ventilation outlets from spaces containing ammonia equipment placed in a safe location, adequately separated from areas accessed by crew; and installation of multiple sensors of different types to detect ammonia leaks.
The report also summarises insights from an analysis of human factors considerations that will be impacted by a transition to ammonia fuel use.
These include competence and training needed to improve safety on ammonia-fuelled vessels; safe work practices and standard procedures that need to be implemented through systematic change management programmes; and effective occupational health safeguards, such as personal protective equipment.
