‘Groundbreaking’ ammonia fuel supply system for ships introduced

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of Finnish technology group Wärtsilä, has introduced a ‘groundbreaking’ ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) for ships able to operate with ammonia fuel. 

Wärtsilä AFSS is a system that enables the use of ammonia as a marine fuel. It is suitable for both newbuilds and as a retrofit for existing vessels.

Furthermore, the system can be installed as an integrated cargo handling and fuel supply system on ships carrying liquified gas especially those able to trade ammonia as cargo, such as VLGC’s and MGC’s. It can also be installed as a self-standing fuel supply system on IGF-coded vessels with either low or high-pressure systems, or a combination of both.

“At Wärtsilä Gas Solutions we have more than 50 years’ experience in handling ammonia onboard ships. This experience, along with our deep understanding and development of high efficiency cargo handling systems in general, has led to the introduction of this system, which we see as a key enabler for decarbonised operations. The AFSS is designed to be robust and reliable, under even the most challenging sea conditions,” said Stein Thoresen, Head of Sales Marine, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions.

A system consisting of pumps and heat exchangers is used to supply the engine with a stable and reliable fuel flow, at the correct pressure and temperature.

Due to the need for high cleanness of the fuel, proper filtering is installed upstream and is embedded in the system.

In line with shipping’s transition to decarbonized fuels, ammonia is widely seen as one of the most promising new fuel candidates. According to Wärtsilä, it offers a huge reduction in CO2 emissions, almost zero sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions, and similar reductions in nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions.

The first Wärtsilä AFSS will be installed on two new gas carriers being built at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) in Korea for Exmar LPG. These medium gas carrier newbuilds will be the first ever oceangoing vessels to be propelled by dual-fuel engines capable of operating with ammonia.