Swiss commodity trading house Trafigura has expanded its support to MAN Energy Solutions’ ammonia-fueled engine project.
Trafigura has decided to co-sponsor the development of the engine for maritime vessels.
The fuel-flexible, two-stroke ammonia engine is expected to be commercially available for large-scale ocean-going ships by 2024, followed by a retrofit package to make existing maritime vessels capable of running on ammonia by 2025, MAN Energy Solutions noted in its statement.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), maritime shipping emits around 1,056 million tons of carbon dioxide per year and is responsible for around 2.9 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Without mitigation, emissions are projected to grow by as much as 130 percent in 2050, compared to 2008 levels.
“Shipping faces a significant challenge in reducing its emissions, while at the same time the threat of climate change requires urgent action to decarbonise. Developing engines and the supporting infrastructure to provide the industry with the ability to adopt carbon-neutral and carbon-free fuels is key to establishing a greener shipping industry in the near future,” said Jose Maria Larocca , executive director and co-head of oil trading for Trafigura.
Uwe Lauber , CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, noted that the final goal for two-stroke engines is to run them entirely on carbon-neutral and carbon-free fuels.
“The interest from shipping companies – and indeed from all links in the entire marine supply chain – in new fuel-technologies currently has great momentum, however the move to green engines also depends on economic realities. No shipping company can risk having its fleet stranded during this transition, which is why we offer flexible solutions that will allow shipping to adapt to the availability of carbon neutral fuels in the market,” Lauber said.
MAN Energy Solutions recently kicked off the project to develop a dual-fuel, medium-speed engine capable of running on diesel fuel and ammonia. The company gathered industry partners and research institutes including the University of Munich, Neptun Ship Design, WTZ, and Woodward L’Orange around its AmmoniaMot project.