Ammonia Risks Are 'Major Safety Deterrents': Rio Tinto

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday October 31, 2024

Mining firm Rio Tinto has said it remains wary of chartering or ordering ammonia-fuelled vessels until more clarity emerges about how the alternative fuel can be safely handled at sea.

The timing remains uncertain for when the company will charter its first ammonia-fuelled ship, news agency Reuters reported this week, citing comments from Laure Baratgin, head of commercial operations at Rio Tinto.

"Currently the lack of regulation, experience in use and toxicity of ammonia on board ships constitute major safety deterrents," Baratgin was cited as saying.

"Pending our confidence and that of our partners, industry, and communities, that the risks are sufficiently controlled, we will look to charter ammonia dual-fuel vessels, the specific timing of which remains uncertain."

Ammonia's lack of carbon content make it an attractive potential alternative bunker fuel as the shipping industry seeks to eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions. But the fuel's toxicity presents significant challenges to safe delivery as a bunker fuel, with seafarers' lives potentially at stake if adequate safety technology and procedures are not developed before its rollout in the global fleet.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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