Exmar and fertilizer giant aim to put ammonia-fueled ship on water by 2025
Written by Nick BlenkeyAntwerp, Belgium, headquartered gas carrier operator Exmar is partnering with Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien to deploy an ammonia-fueled vessel by as early as 2025. The vessel would be fueled by low-carbon ammonia produced at Nutrien’s Geismar, La., facility that employs carbon capture and sequestration technology to reduce the carbon intensity of the ammonia it produces.
The two companies have been partners in transporting ammonia globally for over 30 years. Both support the decarbonization of shipping and IMO’s Green House Gas (GHG) strategy to reduce emissions. Their new collaboration aims to significantly reduce Nutrien’s maritime transportation emissions and enable the commercial development of an ammonia-fueled vessel.
Under a just-signed collaboration agreement, nutrien and exmar will, among other things, collaborate on the following:
- select an ammonia engine and supply system manufacturer
- select a shipyard capable of building an ammonia-powered vessel
- use Nutrien’s existing low-carbon ammonia supply from Geismar as a fuel
- deploy an ammonia-fueled vessel as early as 2025
Nutrien is one of 15 organizations involved in the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Renewable Energy to Fuels through Utilization of Energy-Dense Liquids (REFUEL) integration and testing program, which is working to create a carbon-free process for creating low- and zero-carbon ammonia for use in agriculture, electricity generation and/or as a fuel.
More in a very useful “Ammonia 101” from Nutria.