NYK LINE has claimed its tugboat Sakigake as the world’s first ammonia-fuelled vessel for commercial use.
Modifications to Sakigake for conversion to run on ammonia began last year, conducted in conjunction with IHI Power Systems and in cooperation with ClassNK.
The NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha will employ the vessel in tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay over a three month demonstration period.
NYK says Sakigake’s conversion was a Green Innovation Fund Project initiated in October 2021 under Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), to equip vessels with domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engines.
In its previous life, Sakigake was an LNG-fuelled tugboat of the same name, delivered in 2015 as the first LNG-fuelled vessel in Japan.
After eight years of tug service in Tokyo Bay, the vessel was docked at the NYK Group’s Keihin Dock for conversion to an ammonia-fuelled vessel.
The main engine and relevant parts were replaced with ammonia-fuelled ones, and sea trials were conducted using ammonia.
NYK says the completed vessel has taken the name Sakigake, hoping it will be a pioneer of ammonia-fuelled vessels, just as it was of LNG-fueled vessels.
Sakigake’s “world’s first” claim is according to research conducted by NYK, and is current as of August 23 this year.
NYK is also currently conducting research and development on an ammonia-fuelled medium gas carrier alongside Japan Engine Corporation, Nihon Shipyard, IHI Power Systems, and ClassNK.
This project is part of the development of vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engines through NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund. The gas carrier is scheduled for delivery in November 2026.
“The NYK Group will continue to contribute to the decarbonization of the shipping industry by promoting and expanding the use of ammonia-fueled vessels, utilizing the knowledge gained through the research and development of these vessels,” the shipping line said.
ClassNK said it will continue to support the introduction of alternative fuel vessels through contributions such as issuance of safety requirements and guidance for design, and safety assessment.
NYK has been heavily involved in the research, development, and procurement of vessels that run on alternative fuels and related activities.
Earlier this month, the line announced it would time-charter a methanol-fuelled bulk carrier in a company first, as well as announcing it had trialled an onboard system designed to lower a vessel’s fuel consumption.
