Wärtsilä and Grieg to build ‘green’ ammonia tanker

The partners plan to have M/S Green Ammonia distribute green ammonia from a planned factory in Berlevåg, Norway to various locations and end-users along the country’s coast. The eventual design, size, and volume of the vessel will be dependent on the market and end-user interest. However, the project has already established letters of intent (LOI) with several industrial partners.

Grieg Star Group chief business development officer Vidar Lundberg said the project has seen “strong interest” from owners of ferries, offshore supply ships, fishing vessels and energy-producing companies.

“They require an amount of energy surpassing what we can achieve in this project. The market is there without a doubt.”

"Norway, with its high number of vessels using LNG or alternative fuels, with high volumes of green energy and the cheapest electrical power in Europe, is probably the perfect arena for the world’s first market for green ammonia" said Mr Lundberg.

LNG-fuelled vessels represent a significant potential customer base. Depending on the engine type, ammonia can be mixed with LNG or the engine could be retrofitted to use ammonia.

“We are in the midst of a transition to low carbon shipping, and the long traditions we have in Norway for cross industry co-operation is vital for the successful implementation of a new green value chain” said Wärtsilä Norway head of sales Cato Esperø.

The M/S Green Ammonia project is receiving funding to the tune of €4.4M (US$5.3M) from Pilot-E, a government funding scheme between the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and Enova SF. The project is a result of a Nordic industrial collaboration group founded from the Zeeds (Zero Emissions Energy Distribution at Sea) initiative.

Grieg Edge head Nicolai Grieg said "We regard the funding from Pilot-E as a valuable stamp of approval for our plans. Both Wärtsilä and we feel confident that this project represents the future for the maritime sector. To have the support from the Norwegian Research Council and Innovation Norway is a significant step towards completion."