PaxOcean, Hong Lam Marine and BV team up on ammonia bunker vessel design

Singapore-based shipyard group PaxOcean Engineering has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with compatriot bunker vessel operator Hong Lam Marine and French classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) to jointly develop an ammonia bunker vessel design.

With the signing of this MOU, PaxOcean will focus on developing designs for ammonia-fueled and ammonia bunkering vessels, while Bureau Veritas will verify compliance with the most applicable and up-to-date rules, particularly those related to the handling of ammonia.

Hong Lam Marine’s role is to provide input specific to operational data and to support and validate the suitability of the ship design for commercial operations.

As explained, the MOU will foster innovation in smart and autonomous ship technologies, and support the use of green ammonia as a sustainable fuel to help decarbonise global shipping.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it welcomes the formation of a strong partnership among industry partners to develop, trial and test-bed new designs and innovative technologies needed to accelerate the transition to a clean economy.

“I congratulate the collaboration between Bureau Veritas, PaxOcean Engineering and Hong Lam Marine to study the design of bunkering vessels with alternate future fuels such as ammonia. As a major bunkering hub, this forward-looking collaboration aligns with our maritime decarbonization efforts to be ready for a multi-fuel bunkering transition to support the future of International shipping,” Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, said.

“We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Hong Lam Marine and Bureau Veritas, founded upon our complementary strengths in a push to accelerate the development of ammonia bunkering in Singapore,” Tan Thai Yong, Chief Executive Officer of PaxOcean, commented.

“Ammonia has great potential as a zero-carbon marine fuel and can play a significant role to help shipping reach its decarbonisation goals, but to fulfill this potential, more work is needed to overcome the safety and operational challenges,” David Barrow, Vice President, South Asia Zone of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, noted.

“These challenges can be overcome through cross-industry collaboration, and we are very pleased to be working with PaxOcean and Hong Lam Marine to develop an ammonia bunker vessel design that de-risks ammonia as a marine fuel.”