Ammonia tugboat conversion

Owned by NYK subsidiary, Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha, and operating in Tokyo Bay, the Sakigake currently runs on LNG and will be converted to run instead on ammonia by 2024.

This initiative is part of work to develop a domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engine begun in October 2021 by NYK and IHI Power Systems (IPS) as part of the Green Innovation Fund Project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.

Ammonia is a promising next-generation fuel thanks to its zero GHG emissions. If green hydrogen is used as a raw material the entire fuel lifecycle can be carbon-free. NYK and IPS are working on research and development in this area, aiming for early take-up across the industry.

However, there are significant challenges around using ammonia as fuel, not least in how to safely store and use the corrosive gas. The project was able to overcome these without changing the size of the tugboat, report the two companies, receiving approval in principle from ClassNK in July 2022.

NYK will begin the modifications in 2023 with demonstration operations in the port of Yokohama planned for 2024.