Athens-based Capital Ship Management Corp. has welcomed into the fleet M/T ‘Alterego’, a second of two ammonia and LNG fuel-ready sister ships delivered in 2022.
The 300,000 dwt, eco-type crude oil, scrubber-fitted VLCC tanker was built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, South Korea.
The first vessel from the series M/T Amore Mio was delivered two months ago.
The vessels are Tier III compliant for reduced Nox emissions, and they are assigned with ABS ENVIRO notation as well as ABS Ammonia Fuel Ready and LNG Fuel Ready notations. This means that the vessels are designed to be converted to run on ammonia or LNG in the future.
Ammonia has an acceptable energy density, similar to methanol, and even higher than that of hydrogen. It can be stored at a temperature of -33°C, requiring less cooling than for example LNG.
However, there are major safety issues that need to be tackled when discussing ammonia as potential marine fuel of the future, the most important one being its high toxicity.
The ships are also equipped with IHM notation for safe recycling. IHM is a list that provides ship-specific information on the actual hazardous materials present on board, their location, and approximate quantities. In this way, the ships meet the requirements of both the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) and the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) on sustainable recycling of ships.
Capital is currently operating a fleet of 39 tankers, including 12 VLCCs, 15 Aframaxes, 11 MR/Handy product tankers, and 1 small tanker with a total dwt of 5.95 million tons approx. It also manages various vessel types and sizes in the dry bulk and containership segment.