MMMCZCS survey: Majority of maritime community willing to work with ammonia-fueled vessels

While the implementation of ammonia as a marine fuel is expected to be technologically feasible as early as 2025-2026, its toxic nature requires the maritime industry to develop new approaches to safety. However, the majority of maritime community members are willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels on condition that a comprehensive level of training and certification is provided, as shown in the survey conducted by Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS).

The safe use of ammonia as a marine fuel has been one of the focal research topics investigated by MMMCZCS since 2021, with an aim to develop best practices for safeguards in design and arrangements.

In 2023, MMMCZCS and Lloyd’s Register issued a joint publication presenting a quantitative risk assessment analysis and preliminary account of the human factor considerations that will be impacted by the transition to ammonia fuel use.

In October 2023, the center organized a roundtable dedicated to ammonia safety with multiple key stakeholders from the shipping and ammonia industries to highlight the need to assess the risk perception regarding ammonia as a marine fuel across onboard and ashore maritime communities, which could have a significant impact on ammonia’s uptake as a marine fuel.

Building on this research, MMMCZCS launched and conducted an online survey from February 2024 until mid-April 2024 to understand the perception and acceptance of ammonia as a marine fuel across the maritime community.

The survey questions focused on the prevalence and nature of safety concerns related to use of ammonia as a marine fuel, desires for knowledge and training regarding ammonia as a marine fuel, and actual and perceived willingness to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels.

The key takeaways from the survey were summarized as follows:

• The majority of respondents from across the maritime community are willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels.
• Acceptance of ammonia as a marine fuel is conditional on a comprehensive level of training and certification.
• Enhanced, reliable, and safe onboard fuel systems and inherently safer ship designs are seen as critical safety elements.

The survey reached over 2,000 respondents across the maritime community with over half (58.6%) of the total respondents having agreed that they would be willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels, while 24% were unsure and 12% reported that they would not be willing.

More specifically, 59% of seafarers and 57% of ashore personnel who responded to the survey agreed that they would be willing to work with ammonia. While more than half of the respondents were willing to sail on or work with ammonia-fueled vessels, these respondents raised some specific concerns, especially regarding training and safety, the center reported.

Many of the survey responses emphasized the desire for more knowledge and training about ammonia, highlighting topics relating to safety, such ammonia’s impact on humans and the environment, firefighting and other emergency response procedures, and ammonia characteristics. Respondents also expressed a desire for comprehensive training, including safety-focused topics such as leakage management, emergency response, and risk analysis, and new engine procedures and maintenance, regulation, and gas as fuel.

The survey also shed light on the primary safety concerns of both seafarers and ashore personnel. It showed that respondents’ basic perception of the characteristics (e.g., toxicity) and safe handling of ammonia seems to be generally accurate and reflects a good understanding of the possible risks involved. However, the survey also showed a lack of knowledge regarding some technical aspects of ammonia handling and operations, MMMCZCS explained.

Another area of concern for survey respondents was the effectiveness and readiness of regulations – that is, whether regulations would be ready in time to appropriately protect seafarers from ammonia-related safety risks. Respondents additionally called for strict safety standards surrounding the design of the fuel systems.

Furthermore, some respondents pointed out additional investments and costs associated with upskilling and training of seafarers and expressed their desire for monetary compensation due to the potential risks involved with the operation of ammonia as a marine fuel and the added complexity to their job.

“Overall, the survey results suggest that the majority of the maritime community is willing to sail on and work with ammonia-fueled vessels. With that said, several barriers remain that will have to be addressed, including comprehensive training and safer ship and system designs. Some of these topics will be addressed in current or future MMMCZCS projects, including a project linked to future revisions of the STCW Tables relating to the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code) in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Code),” the center said.