New Fuel News

Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard held a steel cutting ceremony on March 8, 2024 for the 14,000 TEU Maersk Halifax methanol dual fuel retrofit project, marking what will be the world's first container vessel methanol dual fuel retrofit.Representatives from Maersk project team, ABS, and headquarters leaders and employees of the company attended the ceremony.The vessel is scheduled to arrive in early July this year and will undergo conversion and repair for a period of about three months. To ensure the smooth implementation of the project, the yard has built a 500-ton gantry crane overhead the No.3 dock.

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, has introduced a new ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) for ships able to operate with ammonia fuel.The system is available for both liquid and gaseous fuel, enabling the use of ammonia as a marine fuel, according to Wärtsilä.In line with shipping’s transition to decarbonized fuels, ammonia is widely seen as one of the most promising new fuel candidates. It offers a huge reduction in CO2 emissions, almost zero sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions…

Nippon Paint Marine appointed Gladys Goh as its President, effective immediately, making her the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan. The marine division is the founding business for the 140-year-old Nippon Paint Holdings Group, a leader and pioneer in marine paint and Goh Gladys joined Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2006, driving the brand to become Malaysia's top coatings provider and subsequently led expansion into new markets. She concurrently serves as Senior Vice-President…

Japanese shipping major NYK Group has marked the start of construction of a test facility that will serve to assess the safety of biofuels and accelerate their practical application as marine fuels.NYK plans to complete the installation of the test engine in June and analyze the biofuel in combustion tests over the next three years.The test engine will be a reused generator from the tugboat Sakigake, which is currently being converted to an ammonia-fueled tug, according to NYK.NYK companies Boltech.

Japanese container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has secured the Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia dual-fueled vessel.The newly AiP-awarded 3,500 TEU vessel was jointly developed by ONE, Nihon Shipyard (NSY) and classification society DNV, as part of a joint development project established in late 2022 among the three parties.Along with recent investment in 12 methanol dual-fueled vessels, the award marks another milestone for ONE on its journey towards…

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has developed a Unified Requirement (URH1) covering the release of ammonia from the onboard systems for bunkering, storing, preparing and using ammonia as fuel.IACS URH1 aligns with the Recommendations from U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and establishes that an ammonia concentration of 300 ppm or more is immediately dangerous, and a concentration of 25 ppm or more is dangerous if the exposure is longer than eight hours.Additionally…

Technology group Wärtsilä said it plans to introduce another four methanol engines to its portfolio. In addition to the Wärtsilä 32 methanol engine launched last year, Wärtsilä will add the Wärtsilä 20, Wärtsilä 31, Wärtsilä 46F and Wärtsilä 46TS, available for deliveries at different points from 2025 onward.Methanol is one of the primary alternative fuel choices for the shipping industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. 'Green' methanol can be produced using renewable energy sources and carbon capture technology, making it a sustainable and carbon-neutral option.

According to the latest figures from DNV's AFI platform, November saw eight new vessels with alternative fuel propulsion ordered. Among these, four were for LNG-powered ships, while the remaining four were methanol-powered. All eight orders were withing the RoRo and car carrier segment.So far this year, the platform has logged 268 new orders for alternative fuel vessels, including 112 LNG- and 152 methanol-powered ships. June and July saw the most activity related to LNG with 47 new orders combined…

Fuel flexibility may be a key driver for recent developments in gensets, but the perennial goals of lowering CapEx and OpEx remain.Fuel flexibility is one of the pillars of decarbonization that is being embraced by genset OEMs. Fuel efficiency, a second pillar, goes hand in hand with that because new fuels will be more expensive, but these concerns come in addition to the on-going drive to reduce CapEx and OpEx for shipowners.MAN Energy Solutions introduced its auxiliary MAN 35/44DF CD engine in June 2023. It is designed to be future-proof and will be ready for methanol operation by 2026.

Swiss marine power company WinGD announced it will supply X-DF-M methanol-fueled engines for a series of six container vessels to be built at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in China. The 9,000 TEU vessels will each be powered by an X82DF-M engine built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD), to be delivered in August 2025. The new vessel series will enter service in 2026 and 2027.The new order, which includes options for further engines, expands WinGD's methanol engine orders into the 82-bore size.

Finland-based marine technology and equipment maker Wärtsilä has introduced the marine sector’s "first commercially available 4-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel."According to Wärtsilä, the new solution enables a significant advance in sustainable shipping operations – during a time in which ship owners are seeking viable options among green fuels. The ammonia solution is now commercially available as part of the Wärtsilä 25 engine platform, which was launched in September 2022.Viridis Bulk Carriers…

Singapore-based Berge Bulk has launched a ship fitted with steel-and-composite sails to cut fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, with an eye to converting more vessels that ply routes with favourable wind conditions.The dry bulk carrier Berge Olympus, equipped with four sails known as WindWings, is chartered by mining giant Vale and will sail between Brazil and China, Berge said on Tuesday.The sails will save up to 20% fuel or six tons per day on an average worldwide…

Hornblower Energy LLC, in partnership with the Port of San Franciso, the U.S. Department of Energy and six corporate partners, including Air Liquide and Glosten, is leading a project to demonstrate the feasibility and viability of using hydrogen (H2) as a maritime fuel.The project is located at Pier 68 in San Francisco. DOE selected the project for funding in 2020. It’s supposed to be completed in 2025 but there are important decision dates before then. So far, project activities have concentrated on planning and modeling.

A new white paper published by maritime performance management company Opsealog sets out five practical steps that OSV operators can take to secure improvements in fuel efficiency through better data analytics.Existing data that companies are already collecting, for example in mandatory logbooks, can enable significant vessel and fleet efficiency gains, says Opsealog.With case studies drawn from Opsealog’s eight years of experience across the world’s offshore markets, the research highlights how having detailed digital monitoring in place helps owners…

Swiss marine power company WinGD has signed a memorandum of understanding with KSS Line to explore X-DF-A engines for future newbuild projects. The companies will focus on 52cm- and 62cm-bore versions of the dual-fuel ammonia engines, suitable for midsize and very large gas carriers (VLGC). The scope of the cooperation will extend beyond engine technology, also focusing on the performance and maintenance solutions necessary for using alternative fuel. The partners will also explore…

SEA-KIT International has won funding from the U.K.'s Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition to design and manufacture a hydrogen-fueled uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The company will partner with maritime decarbonization disruptor, Marine2o, for the build of land-based infrastructure to produce green hydrogen, via renewable energy and the electrolysis of water, as part of the project.Dubbed ZEPHR - Zero Emissions Ports Hydrogen Refilling Survey Vessel, the project aims to extend vessel operation for port operators and stakeholders through complete energy transferal…

Russia's successor to McDonald's has teamed up with energy company Gazprom Neft to fuel marine vessels with biofuel produced using waste cooking oil an effort to lower their carbon footprints, the companies said on Thursday.Russia has said it was still committed to its climate targets despite the deepest political rift with the West in decades. Biofuels are widely considered to be less harmful in terms of emissions than conventional fuels.Gazprom Neft's bunkering business subsidiary…

A.P. Moller - Maersk will retrofit an existing ship to have a dual-fuel methanol engine, a first for the container shipping industry.The retrofit is scheduled for 2024, and sister vessels are expected to follow when going for special survey in 2027.“We have set an ambitious net-zero emissions target for 2040 across the entire business and have taken a leading role in decarbonising logistics. Retrofitting of engines to run on methanol is an important lever in our strategy. With this initiative…

DNV has published a study co-sponsored by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), examining the key drivers transforming the maritime industry and their impact on ship management and seafarers.The study was officially handed to SMF Chairman Hor Weng Yew during the Nor-Shipping trade fair in Oslo.The research draws on a comprehensive methodology combining a literature review, expert consultations, and a survey of over 500 seafarers responsible for operating dry bulk, tanker, and container vessels globally.

Three marine industry partners are working to develop a concept for a high-speed internal combustion engine for ships that can run on green methanol in a CO2-neutral manner.Rolls-Royce, Woodward L’Orange and WTZ Roßlau have been working since the beginning of 2023 on the new joint project “MeOHmare”, which is receiving eight million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.Dr. Daniel Chatterjee, responsible for technology strategy and sustainability at alliance coordinator Rolls-Royce Power Systems…

An international group of maritime industry partners are conducting a feasibility study with the aim to establish a commercially viable green ammonia ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering network on the U.S. East Coast.The study, to be carried out at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, will cover the entire end-to-end supply chain of ammonia bunkering, which includes the development of a cost-effective green ammonia supply chain, the design of an ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB)…

A first-of-its-kind ammonia-powered, zero-emission tugboat will be put to the test by Brooklyn, N.Y-based startup Amogy in late 2023.Having already successfully demonstrated its technology on an aerial drone, tractor and semi-truck, the ammonia power solutions company revealed in early March that it is retrofitting a scaled up 1-megawatt (MW) version of its ammonia-to-power system onto a tug at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. as a test run for its emissions-slashing power and propulsion technology in the commercial maritime sector.Once installed…

Malmö, Sweden-based Chris-Marine is long-tenured in the business of keeping engines running smoothly, efficiently. Led by its energetic young CEO Jens Groth, this 60-year-old- company finds itself in transition: firmly rooted in its traditional business of creating the tools and technique to keep commercial ship engines running smoothly, but at the same time transitioning its revenue to include services, particularly as ships at sea increasingly run with fewer, less experienced crew.