ClassNK Grants AiP for Ship that Can Transport Ammonia and Liquefied CO2

Japanese classification society ClassNK has granted Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) Approval in Principle (AiP) for a ship that can transport ammonia and liquefied CO2 (LCO2).

LCO2 carriers play an important role as one of the means of efficiently transporting captured and liquefied CO2 to storage sites or effective use sites in the CCUS (Carbon dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Storage) value chain, which is attracting attention as one of the means to realize a low-carbon and decarbonized society, Mitsubishi said.

Ammonia is attracting worldwide interest as a next-generation clean energy that does not emit CO2 during combustion. The movement to strategically utilize ammonia in decarbonization is also gaining momentum worldwide, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, added.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and NYK Line have been working on the technological development of ammonia or LCO2 dedicated carriers, and both companies have already been collaborating on the technical development of large LCO2 carriers.

With this acquisition of AiP, the two companies will utilize their accumulated knowledge of ammonia and LCO2 to aim for the safe and economical transportation of ammonia and LCO2 on the same carrier. In that case, the carrier could transport ammonia to thermal power plants on the outbound route and then carry CO2 emitted from thermal power plants to storage sites on the return route, Mitsubishi said.

 Approval in Principle (AiP) indicates that a certification body has reviewed the basic design and confirmed that it meets the technical requirements and standards for safety.