ABS presents industry’s first advisory on ammonia bunkering

Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued the maritime industry’s first guidance focused on ammonia bunkering.

Even though ammonia as an alternative marine fuel is gaining momentum across the industry, its toxicity remains a challenge for ensuring safe bunkering capabilities, whether by truck, ship, or land storage terminal.

According to the classification society, the aim of the “ABS Ammonia Bunkering: Technical and Operational Advisory” is to provide the industry with a better understanding of the challenges involved with ammonia bunkering and how best to address them.

The advisory considers the aspects of bunkering ammonia as a fuel, including design, operations, risk assessment and dispersion analysis, safety procedures, and training.

John McDonald, ABS President and COO, said: “ABS has been leading the development of ammonia as a marine fuel and this advisory is the next step in this process. We have built up extensive insight into the application of ammonia at sea, which we are now sharing with the industry.”

McDonald noted that the advisory supports owners, operators, designers, shipyards, and ammonia suppliers including terminals and port authorities with comprehensive guidance on the latest thinking around ammonia bunkering, which presents a specific set of new challenges for the industry.

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