Alternative Fuels
Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation awards ammonia bunkering safety study to DNV-led consortium
Letters of collaboration signed with 21 industry partners who have agreed to share confidential technical information with the consortium to produce a robust set of recommendations for regulators.
The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Wednesday (26 January) said it is pleased to award its ammonia bunkering safety study to a DNV-led consortium.
DNV, a globally established class society, is partnering with Surbana Jurong and the Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA). Surbana Jurong’s understanding of the local landscape will be critical to site identification for ammonia bunkering. SMA, part of Singapore Polytechnic, will co-develop workforce curriculum and provide manpower development in handling ammonia as a bunker fuel.
GCMD announced its first Invitation for Proposals “Defining the safety and operational envelopes to enable ammonia bunkering pilot and demonstration” on 8 October 2021 to a short list of classification societies and engineering consultants, and received a strong response upon its close.
Evaluation of the proposals was carried out by a team comprising industry experts with extensive experience and knowledge in this area, and the GCMD projects team.
A precursor to the demonstration of ammonia bunkering in Singapore, the intent of this study is to define a robust set of safety guidelines and operational envelopes that will establish the basis of a regulatory sandbox for trials at two local bunkering sites.
Handling ammonia as a bunker fuel will require more stringent safety and operational guidelines compared to transporting ammonia as a commodity given the substantively higher transfer frequency and the need for more flexible transfer configurations.
This study will build on guidelines that have been developed for safe handling of ammonia as a commodity by defining and then integrating or overlaying the guidelines required for safe handling ammonia as a bunker fuel.
While conducted in Singapore, this study can be calibrated to site-specific operational conditions to help advance the deployment of green ammonia as a bunker fuel elsewhere.
Professor Lynn Loo, the CEO of GCMD, said: “As with any new bunker fuel, there are safety and operational challenges associated with their use. GCMD has chosen to look at ammonia bunkering as its first project because ammonia is among the most energy-efficient green fuel to be produced.”
“This study to define the safety and operations envelopes for ammonia bunkering is critical to its eventual adoption anywhere. We have chosen to commission this study in Singapore; with Singapore being a population dense island nation and a major bunkering hub, the stringent guidelines developed in this study will likely be extensible to ports elsewhere.”
On news of the award, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime, added: “Our research shows that a number of safety gaps hold the potential to disrupt the speed and success of shipping’s energy transition. The safe handling of ammonia – among the most promising future fuels – is one such gap which urgently needs to be closed, given the threat it poses to seafarers and ships unless properly managed.”
“We are therefore thrilled to partner with Surbana Jurong and Singapore Maritime Academy on this pioneering initiative, which we hope will lay the foundations for robust ammonia bunkering safety guidelines with industry wide applicability.”
Ahead of the award of this study, GCMD signed letters of collaboration with 21 industry partners who have agreed to share confidential technical information with the consortium so a robust set of recommendations can be made to regulators. (Annex A)
In addition, more than 30 organisations across the supply chain have registered to be part of the Industry Consultation and Alignment Panel (iCAP), set up by the centre to solicit input on the study recommendations. Interested companies may continue to register their interest to be part of the iCAP at this link: iCAP registration form.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), a founding partner of the Centre, will take the findings from the GCMD study into consideration to facilitate the development of a regulatory sandbox for future trials.
In parallel, GCMD has initiated discussions with the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) and the Centre for Excellence for Maritime Safety (CEMS) at the Singapore Polytechnic to operationalise the manpower development framework for training operators for the ammonia bunkering pilot.
“In any sustainable transition, a robust management of change process must always be in place where safety is mandatory to protect lives, the environment and investments,” said Dr Sanjay C Kuttan, GCMD Chief Technology Officer.
“The overwhelming support from both industry partners and iCAP members is testament to the importance of this study, and GCMD is committed to co-creating a positive impact with our partners as we navigate the challenges of maritime decarbonisation.”
The study will commence in February 2022 and is expected to take between 10 to 12 months to complete.
Related: DNV: Green ammonia a ‘key ingredient’ to decarbonise maritime industry
Related: DNV Decarbonisation Insights: Singapore’s pathway to Net Zero and the role of Ammonia
Photo credit: DNV / Nikos Spaeth
Published: 26 January, 2022
Methanol
CMA CGM, SIPG and Shanghai Electric Group join forces on green methanol bunkering
Companies signed a long term supply cooperation deal to develop a fully integrated green methanol value chain, which is expected to propel Shanghai into a regional green methanol bunkering hub.
French shipping giant CMA CGM on Friday (21 March) said it has signed a green methanol long term supply cooperation agreement with SIPG Energy and Shanghai Electric Group on 20 March to develop a fully integrated green methanol value chain.
The agreement is expected to accelerate Shanghai Port's development into a regional green methanol bunkering hub, securing its first-mover advantage in the low-carbon transformation of shipping and further consolidating Shanghai's leadership in global maritime trade.
“This collaboration underscores CMA CGM's leadership in maritime decarbonisation and strengthens our partnership with major Chinese partners,” the company said.
Under the agreement, Shanghai Electric Group will provide mid-to-long-term green methanol fuel supply for CMA CGM. In partnership with SIPG, green methanol will be transported via land-sea combined logistics from Shanghai Electric’s production base in Taonan to Shanghai Port, the world's largest container port.
Shanghai Electric said the agreement will form a complete “production-transportation-bunkering” chain. The company further elaborated that its Taonan project is an important foundation for it in the field of hydrogen-based green fuels.
Firmly committed to the energy transition in shipping and its use of alternative marine fuels, CMA CGM said it has set a Net Zero-Carbon target for 2050.
Last month, CMA CGM IRON, the group's first dual-fuel methanol made its maiden call in Singapore. With a container capacity of 13,000 TEUs, it is the first in a series of 12 new dual-fuel methanol vessels for CMA CGM.
“At CMA CGM, we address the challenges related to the availability of clean fuels. Our partnership strategy drives us to implement innovative and sustainable solutions to achieve our energy transition objectives,” said Farid Trad, Vice President of Bunkering & Energy Transition of CMA CGM Group.
“Our landmark collaboration with SIPG and Shanghai Electric Group marks a new milestone and shows our commitment to Net Zero-Carbon by 2050.”
Photo credit: CMA CGM
Published: 21 March, 2025
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