Ammonia is one of several alternative fuels being evaluated by the maritime industry to help achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. While ammonia has the potential to be a zero-carbon fuel or a carrier for hydrogen fuel, the chemical is extremely toxic and has stringent handling requirements.

On this episode of Setting Course, Rene Laursen, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss ammonia’s potential, its challenges and its path to broad adoption as a maritime fuel.

Key Points

• Ammonia is being considered as an alternative fuel for shipping to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
• It can be produced from renewable sources and does not emit carbon or CO2 when combusted.
• Scaling up renewable electricity and, thus, green ammonia production is a challenge to meet the industry's fuel needs.
• The cost of producing green ammonia is expected to be two to three times more expensive than traditional ammonia.
• Ammonia can be used as a fuel in both four-stroke and two-stroke engines, but the combustion technology and pilot fuel requirements differ.
• Storing ammonia on board ships is already taking place, and there are different tank systems available.
• Safety measures and training are necessary due to the toxicity of ammonia.
• The shipping industry is expected to see an increase in the use of ammonia as an alternative fuel in the coming years.

Guest
Rene Laursen serves as Director of Sustainability for ABS, leading the ABS Copenhagen Sustainability Center. In his current role, he supports shipowners in selecting the best technologies and fuel mixes for their fleet.

As the maritime industry grapples with the need to reduce emissions, carbon capture technology offers a potential solution with wide-reaching implications.

On this episode of Setting Course, Joe Rousseau, ABS Director of Offshore Technology, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor for Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss the emerging carbon capture, utilization and storage value chain. Rousseau provides insight into new carbon capture technologies, potential use cases for captured carbon and the value chain’s impact on the maritime industry.

Key Points

• Onboard carbon capture is still in the early stages of development in the maritime industry.
• Scaling the technology for shipboard use presents challenges such as limited space, weight considerations, and the need for associated systems and power.
• Infrastructure and regulatory support are crucial for the commercialization of carbon capture in shipping.
• Captured carbon can be used to create synthetic fuels, but the scale of carbon capture efforts requires significant infrastructure and financial considerations.
• Carbon capture in shipping involves not only onboard capture but also the transportation, storage, and potential reuse of captured carbon.

As vessels become increasingly complex with new technologies and fuels, the application of autonomous technologies to support human crew decision-making is gaining ground in the maritime industry.

On this episode of Setting Course, Chih Wei Lui, ABS Senior Managing Principal Engineer, and Kalevi Tervo, ABB Corporate Executive Engineer and Global Program Manager, join host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to broadly discuss the impact of autonomous technologies on the maritime industry.

Lui and Tervo discuss specific applications, the evolving regulatory landscape, and the evolving role of crew onboard vessels with autonomous technologies.

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Key Points

• Autonomy in the maritime industry is in an exciting phase with a lot of work happening behind the scenes.
• The focus is on the practical application of autonomous technology in vessel operations to improve efficiency.
• Human beings are still crucial for decision-making, while machines handle tedious and data-intensive tasks.
• These technologies are being piloted in various sectors of the maritime industry.

Guests
Chih Wei Lui is a Senior Managing Principal Engineer with ABS and leads the electrical plan review team in Singapore. Lui has been with ABS for 16 years working in various roles in Engineering plan review and Technology in Singapore and Dubai. He has extensive experience in maritime regulations and electrical and automation systems. He is a subject matter expert on smart and autonomous shipping and is actively involved in global efforts on this topic. He represents ABS on the IACS (International Association of Classification Societies) Expert Group on MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships). He was the lead author of the ABS Requirements for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions and the Advisory on Autonomous Functionality.

Dr. Kalevi Tervo received his D.Sc. (Tech.) degree in Control Engineering from Aalto University, Finland, in 2011, where he served in various positions during 2005-2011. At Aalto University, he led a research team involved in building the first IoT systems for mobile working machines with major Finnish working machine companies. Since joining ABB in 2011, he has led R&D projects focused on increasing ship automation and performance through data analytics, optimization and control. In his current role as a Corporate Executive Engineer, Dr. Tervo leads a major R&D program developing efficient, sustainable and intelligent shipping solutions.