MODEC and TOYO receive stamp of approval for blue ammonia FPSO

A blue ammonia floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit design with onboard carbon capture technology developed by Japanese companies MODEC and Toyo Engineering Corporation (TOYO) has obtained approval in principle (AiP) from classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

MODEC and TOYO have jointly designed the Blue Ammonia FPSO which will produce ammonia from the gas supplied by oil and gas FPSO located nearby.

As explained, the FPSO is intended to produce and store blue ammonia using associated gas which has conventionally been reinjected into the reservoir without specific applications.

Additionally, the unit is equipped with a carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility to capture CO2 generated in the process of converting associated gas to ammonia as well as CO2 from gas turbine generators (GTG). This is expected to minimize CO2 emissions from the FPSO during ammonia production.

The hull, which stores and offtakes the produced ammonia, was developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

MODEC described the AiP issued by ABS as “an initial step in the development of a floating solution for alternative energy production” and vowed to work towards refining and maturing this concept to address the key challenges for commercialization identified through this development, aiming to provide a safe and affordable alternative energy supply solution.

What is more, this joint development is positioned as the first “Concept Design of Floating Alternative Energy Production Facility” as stated in MODEC’s Mid-term Business Plan 2024-2026 “Explore a Sustainable Future with Innovation”.

In 2024, ABS also granted AiP to South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for an ammonia FPSO unit design.

The concept named Samsung Ammonia Blue features advanced safety components with an expected production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum of ammonia.

According to SHI, the floating blue ammonia production facility is a modular structure installed on a floating body offshore to achieve a “dramatic reduction in carbon emissions” and overcome constraints such as lack of land and infrastructure, shortening the construction period.