Japanese container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has secured the Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia dual-fueled vessel.
The newly AiP-awarded 3,500 TEU vessel was jointly developed by ONE, Nihon Shipyard (NSY) and classification society DNV, as part of a joint development project established in late 2022 among the three parties.
Along with recent investment in 12 methanol dual-fueled vessels, the award marks another milestone for ONE on its journey towards net-zero by 2050.
ONE has been studying the feasibility of ammonia as an alternative fuel for zero emission according to the roadmap for alternative fuels which was developed by the company in 2022. In conjunction with the roadmap, ONE participated in a GCMD-led ammonia bunkering pilot safety study.
“Ammonia is definitely one of the primary focuses of our research as ammonia fuel has a great potential of generating lower GHG emissions than conventional marine fuels. We are pleased to have made such a progress, and we will continue our study on ammonia,” said Koshiro Wake, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Sustainability Department at ONE.
“Ammonia is one of the promising future marine fuels with great potential to decarbonize shipping. We are confident that DNV’s rules for ammonia will help our customers to safely adopt this new fuel type once the infrastructure is in place,” added Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime at DNV.