Korean Players, Liberian Registry to Develop Ship-to-Ship Ammonia Bunkering Guidelines

The MOU ceremony. Image Credit: KR

A host of Korean industry stakeholders and the Liberian Registry today said they are joining forces to develop safety guidelines for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the project has been signed by KR (Korean Register), HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI), KSS Line, and the Liberian Registry - the world's largest ship registry ranked by gross tonnage.

While ammonia lags significantly behind other candidate future fuels LNG and methanol, as a carbon-free energy carrier that has a more attractive energy density compared to a number of other alternative fuels, there is strong interest in developing ammonia into a viable bunker fuel.

Indeed, as Ship & Bunker reported yesterday, some proponents of  ammonia bunkers believe it is the only fuel to help the shipping industry reduce its emissions.

"While standards for LNG and methanol bunkering have already been defined through various international industry standards, ammonia currently lacks relevant guidelines, highlighting the urgent need for the partnership's research," the group said in a press release issued today.

Ammonia also presents unique challenges over other fuels due to its toxicity.

"Just as we observed with the initial adoption of LNG STS bunkering, it is critical to establish regulations and procedures for ammonia as well," said KIM Jungsik, Managing Director of the Korea Office at the Liberian Registry.

"Our Innovation and Energy Transition team will thoroughly review the safety protocols and support the development of international standards."