World
Tugboat powered by ammonia sails for the first time, showing how to cut emissions from shipping
Kingston, New York – On a tributary of the Hudson River, an ammonia-powered tugboat eased away from the shipyard dock and sailed for the first time to demonstrate how the maritime industry may reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.
The tugboat used to run on diesel. Amogy, a New York-based business, bought the 67-year-old ship to convert it to cleanly produced ammonia, a new, carbon-free fuel.
The tugboat’s inaugural sail on Sunday night marks a significant milestone in the battle to build zero-emission propulsion using renewable fuels. Shipping emissions have climbed over the previous decade, reaching approximately 3% of the global total, according to the United Nations, as vessels have grown in size, transporting more cargo every trip and using massive amounts of fuel oil.
Tugboat powered by ammonia sails for the first time, showing how to cut emissions from shipping
CEO Seonghoon Woo stated that he founded Amogy with three friends to help the world address a major concern: the global economy’s backbone has yet to switch to renewable energy.
“Without solving the problem, it’s not going to be possible to make the planet sustainable,” stated Mr. Obama. “I do not believe this is the problem of the future generation. “This is a huge issue for our generation.”
The pals met while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they spent their free time brainstorming ways to power huge industries cleanly. They started their business in November 2020 in a modest room at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The name Amogy is derived from the phrases ammonia and energy.
They hunted for a boat and discovered the tug at the Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, New York, where it was sitting idle. It could shatter ice, but little to no ice had developed on that stretch of the Hudson River in previous years, therefore it was available for purchase.
“It represents how serious the problem is when it comes to climate change,” Woo told the crowd. The venture, according to him, is “not just demonstrating our technology, it’s really going to be telling the story to the world that we have to fix this problem sooner than later.”
They christened the tugboat NH3 Kraken after ammonia’s chemical formula and their way of “cracking” it into hydrogen and nitrogen. Amogy’s method converts ammonia to hydrogen for a fuel cell, transforming the tug into an electric-powered ship. The International Maritime Organisation has set a target for international shipping to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by or around 2050.
According to the Global Maritime Forum, a nonprofit that works closely with the industry, shipping emissions must be reduced quickly, and there are currently no readily available methods to decarbonise deep-sea shipping. Ammonia is a popular alternative fuel since it contains no carbon, according to Jesse Fahnestock, who leads the forum’s decarbonization efforts.
Ammonia is frequently used as a fertiliser, therefore there is already infrastructure in place to handle and transport it. Tonne for tonne, has more energy capacity than hydrogen and is easier to store and transport.
“It certainly has the potential to be a main or even the main fuel,” according to Fahnestock. “It has a potentially very friendly greenhouse gas footprint.”
Ammonia has downsides. It’s toxic. Currently, nearly all of it is produced using natural gas in an environmentally destructive process. Burning it requires precise engineering or it will emit traces of a potent greenhouse gas.
The tugboat ran on green ammonia generated by renewable electricity. The original gasoline tank space can accommodate a 2,000-gallon tank for a 10- to 12-hour day at sea.
It separates liquid ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, then feeds the hydrogen into a fuel cell, which creates energy for the vessel with no carbon emissions. Because the mechanism does not burn ammonia like a combustion engine, the emissions are predominantly nitrogen and water. The corporation claims there are trace quantities of nitrogen oxides that it is attempting to totally eradicate.
Amogy employed ammonia to power a drone in 2021, then a tractor in 2022, a semi-truck in 2023, and now a tugboat to demonstrate the technology. Woo stated that their system is intended for usage on vessels ranging in size from tugboats to cargo ships, and that it may also generate power on land to replace diesel generators in data centres, mining and construction, and other heavy industries.
The company has raised approximately $220 million. Amazon, a company with significant delivery needs, is among the investors. Nick Ellis, principal of Amazon’s $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund, stated that the business is delighted and impressed by Amogy’s efforts. By investing, Amazon can demonstrate to ship owners and builders that it wants its goods transported with zero emissions, he explained.
Tugboat powered by ammonia sails for the first time, showing how to cut emissions from shipping
“Many folks will now get a chance to see and understand how real and promising this technology is, and that it could actually be in container ships or tugboats in a matter of a few years,” he told reporters. “If you had asked five years ago, I believe many people would have thrown up their hands… And now we have a compelling example that is also financially practical. These types of things don’t happen every day.”
As a following step, Amogy is collaborating with major shipbuilders to introduce ammonia power to the maritime industry. Hanwha Ocean, a South Korean shipyard, is obtaining its technologies. HD Hyundai and Samsung Heavy Industries are collaborating with Amogy on ship design.
According to Sangmin Park, because Amogy has made substantial headway in demonstrating ammonia’s promise as a clean fuel, “we expect the industry to move towards adoption more quickly.” Park is senior vice president of HD Hyundai’s subsidiary HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering.
“For the past few years, the industry has recognised the potential of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel,” Park noted via email, “but actually building and sailing the first vessel is a true landmark event.”
SOURCE | AP
