Japanese company to launch ammonia-powered cargo ship by 2026

With decarbonization emerging as a priority in the heavy-emissions shipping industry, Imabari Shipbuilding
Japan plans to launch a cargo ship that runs entirely on ammonia by 2026.

No ships powered by ammonia have been built so far, but fuel is considered an important source of green energy for the future.

The Imabari Nihon Shipyard unit will develop a bulk carrier capable of transporting more than 200,000 tons of iron ore and other cargo. It will be built at the Saijo de Imabari shipyard in Ehime province.

Hydrogen-powered vessels also function without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But liquefying hydrogen so that it can be easily transported means cooling it to -253 degrees Celsius and this poses a risk of explosion.

Hydrogen also releases less energy when burned than heavy oil, so ships would need to quadruple the size of their fuel tanks to travel the same distance with hydrogen, which means less cargo space.

Meanwhile, liquid ammonia would need to be cooled to just -33 degrees C. It releases more energy than hydrogen when burned, so ships would only need 2.5 times more fuel storage than if they were running on heavy oil.

Imabari’s new ship will come with plenty of cargo space, as well as a newly developed storage tank that prevents ammonia evaporation.

Partner trading house Itochu will set up filling stations in several ports so that the ship can fill a smaller tank more often.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, visit the link:

https://valor.globo.com/empresas/noticia/2021/09/21/empresa-japonesa-quer-lancar-navio-de-carga-movido-a-amonia-ate-2026.ghtml

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