The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), in collaboration with Fortescue and partners from government, industry and research fields, successfully demonstrated the world’s first use of ammonia as a marine fuel in the Port of Singapore involving Singapore-flagged dual-fuelled ammonia-powered vessel, FFI Green Pioneer.

The demonstration involved two sets of trials:

1) The first, which concluded in March 2024, was carried out over seven weeks and involved testing of the vessel's ammonia storage system, associated piping, gas fuel delivery system, retrofitted engines, and overall seaworthiness. The vessel was loaded with 5 cubic metres (3 tonnes) of liquid ammonia from the Vopak Banyan Terminal on Jurong Island, demonstrating the potential for existing infrastructure to support new marine fuels.

2) The second trial was carried out over a 10-day period in April/May 2024, with the vessel utilising 6.4 cubic meters (4.4 tonnes) of liquid ammonia in combination with diesel and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO), to facilitate propulsion and maneuverability tests as part of the vessel’s sea trials.

Safety was paramount throughout the trials, with extensive measures implemented including Hazard Identification Study and Hazard and Operability Study workshops, emergency response training, and the development of an ammonia plume model to support safety and incident response planning.

Following the successful demonstration, FFI Green Pioneer received flag approval from the Singapore Registry of Ships and the "Gas Fuelled Ammonia" notation from classification society DNV. This official recognition underscores the significance of the achievement and paves the way for future developments in ammonia-fuelled shipping.

The lessons learnt and experiences from the trials were shared with the international community at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during the 82nd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee and 108th session of the Maritime Safety Committee, underscoring Singapore's commitment to advancing the shipping industry's decarbonisation efforts at the global level.

The successful trials demonstrate the possibility for the adoption of ammonia in international shipping, setting the stage for future development of ammonia-fuelled vessels, expansion of ammonia bunkering infrastructure in ports worldwide, and continued research into greenhouse gas emissions reduction technologies.

For more information on the trails, refer to MPA’s press releases:

1) World’s First Use of Ammonia as a Marine Fuel in a Dual-Fuelled Ammonia-Powered Vessel in the Port of Singapore | Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
2) Successful Propulsion and Manoeuvrability Trials by Fortescue’s Dual-fuelled Ammonia-Powered Vessel in the Port of Singapore | Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore