Metacon, Pherousa: Ammonia cracking tech greenlit by DNV, ABS

Metacon, a Swedish manufacturer of energy systems, has, through its shareholding in Norwegian technology transfer company Pherousa, received two initial approvals in principle (AiP) for its ammonia cracking technology for use onboard ships.

The technology, exclusively licensed to Pherousa, won AiPs from classification societies American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and DNV on an independent evaluation basis.

As informed, the AiPs come with no show-stopper conditions, affirming the viability and safety of the Pherousa ammonia cracking technology onboard ships with PEM fuel cells and fuel gas supply systems (FGSS), generating fully electrical propulsion.

As per Metacon, the milestone achievement marks a significant step forward in the development of sustainable emission-free propulsion solutions for the maritime industry.

Key partners in the work towards the two AiPs include the ship designer Deltamarin, the flag state Marshall Islands, the FGSS supplier Babcock International as well as Metacon.

Pherousa holds an exclusive license to Metacon’s ammonia cracking technology for maritime use on board vessels. Pherousa is together with Metacon and other partners developing this innovative technology based on Metacon’s HIWAR technology. The overall goal is to make the transition to fossil-free and zero-emission propulsion within the maritime short- to deep-sea transport sectors a reality.

Unlike conventional fuels, ammonia is a non-explosive liquid that carries a significant amount of clean hydrogen energy that, if technology is developed to utilize the contained hydrogen, can be used to drive new types of engines onboard. Therefore, ammonia as a fuel has the potential to provide the solution for enabling the shift to carbon-free maritime transportation.

“Ammonia is gaining momentum as a hydrogen carrier for technology application onboard vessels, from coastal to deep-sea shipping and in parallel with this development, clean ammonia could potentially make up about 13 percent of the global ammonia supply by 2030,” Hans Bredrup, Chairman of Pherousa AS, commented.

“The AiPs now allow Pherousa to continue the design and construction of the zero-emission series of 64,000 dwt bulk carriers earmarked for the copper industry. Only ships that have no carbon fuels onboard can ensure the end-users that the copper utilized for solar panels or electric cars is free of emissions in its supply chain.”

The Pherousa subsidiary, Pherousa Shipping, has worked closely with two major copper miners during the design process of the Ultramax 64,000 dwt vessel to find the optimal layout for emission-free transportation of copper concentrates between its origin and the smelters. The vessels are intended to be on water in connection with the new IMO regulation that comes into force in 2030, thus allowing the cargo industry to use fully emission-free vessels for their transportation of goods across the oceans.

The patented ammonia cracking HIWAR-based reactor by Metacon is a technology designed to efficiently convert ammonia into high-quality hydrogen fuel.

By its exclusive license agreement to Pherousa for use directly onboard ships, it represents ‘a significant leap forward’ in sustainable maritime energy, paving the way for a cleaner, greener future in the industry, Metacon said.

The Metacon-Pherousa ammonia cracking can be applied to a variety of developed technologies, such as supplying hydrogen to PEM fuel cells, replacing conventional fuels with hydrogen as pilot fuel on ammonia fueled internal combustion engines (ICE), supplying hydrogen internal combustion engines (ICE), all yielding 100% emission-free propulsion, as well as supplying hydrogen to auxiliary engines to reduce or eliminate emissions.

Any of the four alternatives holds the final potential to be fitted onboard any type of vessel with an engine power up to 15-20 MW, the company added.

“I am very pleased to see the fast continued progress in Pherousa for the use and development of our ammonia cracking technology in the maritime sector. Ammonia remains the only CO2-free solution for deep-sea shipping decarbonization, with both fuel cell and combustion engine options for the marine drive trains. The partnership structure around Pherousa is powerful and AiP from both ABS and DNV is a significant milestone and gamechanger towards commercialization,” Christer Wikner, President & CEO of Metacon and board director of Pherousa, highlighted.

In late January 2025, Metacon increased its stake in Pherousa to approximately 35 percent of the capital. The companies also signed the license agreement for the former’s ammonia cracking technology for use onboard ships.

• First ammonia cracker prototype turns zero-emission shipping into a reality
• New alliance to work on offshore ammonia cracking solution
• AFC Energy starts its first ammonia-to-hydrogen cracker demonstration plant