EMEA News
Norway's Skarv Shipping Orders Ammonia-Fuelled Cargo Ship for Timber Trade
Norway-based Skarv Shipping has ordered an ammonia- and battery-powered general cargo vessel from Chinese shipyard Huanghai Shipbuilding.
The 7,800-dwt vessel is expected to be delivered by Q2 2027 and will be chartered to Arriva Shipping to manage timber transport for Viken AT Market, Skarv Shipping said in a statement on its website.
It will feature a 160 m3 ammonia tank and use MGO as a pilot fuel, enabling it to operate a 14-day round trip between Norway and the European continent.
Since ammonia has low ignition properties, it requires a certain amount of pilot fuel—such as MGO—for combustion. Engine manufacturers like MAN Energy Solutions, which is set to launch its ammonia engines next year, aim to reduce pilot fuel use to just 5%, with the remaining 95% being ammonia.
"This is our first ship capable of sailing on ammonia from day one, allowing it to operate with minimal greenhouse gas emissions, Øivind Svardal, CEO of Skarv Shipping, said.
"Simultaneously, the engine is linked to an electric propulsion system that utilises batteries and has access to shore power."
Currently, Viken AT Market ships around 1 million mt/year of Norwegian timber, with most of it transported on conventional-fuelled vessels.
