Offshore staff
BØMLO, Norway – Wärtsilä and Eidesvik Offshore ASA have agreed to cooperate on converting an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to operate with an ammonia-fueled combustion engine.
The Apollo project is said to be the first of its kind in the world and has a provisional completion target of late 2023.
The OSV considered for a retrofit currently has Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines operating primarily with LNG fuel. The conversion will allow the vessel to operate with a 70% ammonia blend. Wärtsilä has successfully laboratory tested an engine fueled with a 70% ammonia blend.
The companies said the goal is to achieve operation with 100% ammonia and with a minimum ignition fuel requirement.
Jan Fredrik Meling, CEO and president of Eidesvik, said: “Using ammonia as a fuel is seen as a key future contributor to shipping’s energy transition, and we’re excited to be the first offshore ship owner taking this step.”
Wärtsilä and Eidesvik are also partners in the EU-funded ShipFC project to equip the platform supply vessel Viking Energy with a 2-MW fuel cell running on green ammonia. The installation is scheduled to take place in late 2023.
This ammonia conversion project also ties in with one of the ongoing work streams of the Wärtsilä-led Zero Emissions Energy Distribution at Sea (ZEEDS) project, aimed at developing ammonia-powered newbuilds and converting suitable existing vessels.
10/08/2021
