ABS grants AiP to ammonia-fueled Newcastlemax bulker design

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to ammonia-fueled Newcastlemax bulker design from the ship management company Anglo-Eastern Technical Services (AETS).

The vessel features a dual-fuel design and uses deck-mounted IMO Type C tanks under the accommodation block on each side, thus saving cargo space.

According to AETS, the system was designed for retrofit to existing vessels as well as ammonia-fueled and ammonia-ready newbuilds.

Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO of Anglo-Eastern Univan Group, said that the transition to alternative fuels is an unavoidable part of the shipping’s industry journey to net-zero propulsion technologies. Hojgaard added that advanced alternative ship designs of equivalent safety as conventional vessels will facilitate the rate of adaptation.

“We are delighted to partner with leading classification societies like ABS on such novel projects as our zero-emission, zero-cargo-volume-loss vessel design, the screening and validation of which is an important step towards our decarbonization efforts”, said Arunava Sengupta, managing director of AETS.

Recognising the potential of ammonia in shipping’s decarbonisation, ABS issued Guide for Ammonia-Fueled Vessels which sets out classification design criteria for the arrangements, construction, installation and survey of machinery, equipment and systems for vessels operating with ammonia as fuel to minimize risks to the vessel, crew and the environment.

“Ammonia is a fuel with high potential as a solution for shipping companies looking to decarbonize their operations. ABS is committed to supporting its safe adoption by the industry and is working with forward-thinking companies such as AETS to develop the systems the industry will require. We are proud to be able to use this industry-leading insight to support their innovative approach”, said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS chairman, president and CEO.

Emerging as the likely front-runner in the fourth propulsion revolution in the maritime industry, ammonia will account for around 45% of global energy demand for shipping in 2050, according to the predictions from the International Energy Agency (IEA).