Japanese shipping major NYK Line and its partners Nihon Shipyard (NSY) and IHI Corporation (IHI) have received Approval in Principle (AiP) from the classification society ClassNK for an ammonia floating storage and regasification barge (A-FSRB).
The companies and ClassNK, which was in charge of the design review of the A-FSRB, carried out a comprehensive risk identification of various contingencies and worked to identify technical issues from the initial study stage.
The risk identification was done using the gap analysis method, which identified differences between conventional ships and offshore floating facilities (heavy oil, LNG, etc.). The impact of such differences was evaluated as well.
According to ClassNK, this is the world’s first AiP for A-FSRBs handling ammonia as cargo.
The A-FSRB is an offshore floating facility that can receive and store ammonia that has been transported via ship as a liquid as well as warm and regasify ammonia according to demand and then send it to a pipeline onshore.
The companies said that the A-FSRB offers the advantages of shorter construction time and lower costs in comparison to the construction of onshore storage tanks and regasification plants, and added that the A-FSRB is expected to speed up the adoption of fuel ammonia and contribute to its wider use as a lower-environmental-impact next-generation fuel.
ClassNK stated it will actively continue to take part in advanced initiatives toward decarbonisation and also support the decarbonisation of the entire industry by incorporating the knowledge gained through collaboration with front runners into rules and guidelines.
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