By CCS Shanghai Rules & Research Institute,

CCS Wuhan Rules & Research Institute,

CCS Dalian Branch and CCS Qingdao Branch

Among numerous alternative fuels,ammonia as a zero -carbon fuel is considered  one  of the best  solutions to greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the industry, thus becoming the focus .

Shortly, the research and development of ammonia fuel engines is in full swing . Ma ny  shi pya rds  a nd  shi powne rs  a re greatly promoting commercial operation of ammonia powered ships . In accordance with the 2022 zero emission pilot and demonstration project chart released by"Getting to Zero Coalition", the dewelopment projects related to ammonia fuel such as ship technology, fuel production, bunkering and infrastructure hawe increased significantly in recent years,and ammoria fuel is also quite favored by large ships .

Shanghai  Merchant  Ship  Design  and Research Institute  (SDARI)  and  Dalian Shipbuilding Industry  Co . , Ltd .(DSIC)launched the conceptual design for the 180,000 ton ammonia-fuelled bulk carrier and 23,000 TEU ammonia-fuelled container  ship  in  2019,  respectively. Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd. also launched the conceptual design for 40,000 m3   ammonia-fuelled liquefied gas carrier in 2021. At the beginning of 2022, SDARI independently designed the first ammonia powered 7,000 CEU car carrier in China . In 2022, Singapore SDTR Marine Pte . Ltd .(SDTR), SDARI and CCS jointly formed a project team . In February 2023, CCS,SDTR and SDARI jointly released the first 85,000 DWT ammonia-fuelled bulk carrier,and solved multiple technical difficulties in the application of ammonia fuel in the project  development process .  The  ship type was successfully awarded AIP . The development of 85,000 DWT ammonia -fuelled bulk carrier is an important step for  the  company  to  achieve  green  and sustainable development .

Accordi ngly,  CCS  will  gi ve  full play  to  its  technical  advantage,  serve the  development  of the  industry,  and facilitate the development of new energy ship  types  and  the  application  of new technologies .  Considering  the  actual requirements  of green  and  low - carbon transformation development of the industry,the requirements of relevant international rules and the latest research results, and according  to  the  principles  of  safety,rationality and operability, CCS  studied physicochemical characteristics of ammonia

fuel, ship layout, fuel storage, bunkering and  supply,  safety monitoring, toxicity safety  protection  and  preset  technical requirements . In 2020, CCS carried out the “Research on the Technology of Applying Ammonia Fuel to Ships” around the safety,environmental protection and feasibility of ammonia fuel application technology in  ships, and mastered key technologies of layout, storage, bunkering, supply and fire  control  of ammonia  fuel  ship . The Guidelines for Ships Using Ammonia Fuel (2022) specify the technical requirements for the safe application of ammonia fuel in ships, provide effective basis for ship design, plan approval, building and survey,and give important technical support for promoting and applying ammonia fuel to ships .

On November 1, 2021, CCS issued the first AIP certificate for ammonia-fuelled VLCC design plan to COSCO  Shipping Energy Transportation Co . , Ltd . , COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co . , Ltd . , and Marine  Design  and  Research  Institute of China .  The  project  depends  on  the high -end  shipping technology platform Joint  Innovation  Studio  for  Shipping Technology, which is co-built by COSCO and  CCS,  and  relevant  organizations jointly  carry  out  the  research  and development of application ammonia fuel in VLCC . A lot of work has been done in terms of research and optimization of ship type parameters, overall layout, selection and  layout  of  ammoni a  fuel  tanks,ammonia fuel system risk assessment and analysis .

The ship type in this project is based on the latest generation of 310,000 ton VLCC . Under the condition of ensuring the advancement of various performance indicators, the ammonia fuel main engine developed by MAN is used on the  ship,and two 6,000 m3 Type C ammonia fuel tanks are equipped . The endurance meets the round voyage of the Middle East route .The successful research and development of the ship type provides technical support for market orders of zero-carbon fuel ships .

Based  on the technical  strength  of all parties,  CCS participates  in project research and development on the platform of the Innovation  Studio, and has made significant contributions in the research on the development trend of ammonia fuel, the applicability of standards, port and route of VLCC ship type, drawing review and risk assessment, so as to ensure the safe use of ammonia fuel . CCS contributes Chinese wisdom to the zero-carbon development of shipping industry .

In  2022,  COSCO  Shipping  Heavy Industry Co . , Ltd . took the lead and brought together  domestic  first - class  research institutes,  equipment  manufacturers,shipyards, classification society and other partners to carry out the research project of “Special Research and Development and Demonstration Application of Ammonia-powered  Dual - fuel  Engine  and  Supply System”, further pressing the acceleration button for the application of ammonia fuel in ships .

Through  the  scientific  research project named “Research, Development,Demonstration  and  Application  of Ammonia-powered Dual Fuel Engines and Supply Systems”, the ignition ceremony for  the  first  ammonia  diesel  dual  fuel performance  testing  machine  and  the AIP  awarding  ceremony  for  ammonia powered ship and ammonia supply system design were held  synchronously  online and  offline  in  Shanghai  and  Dalian  in Oct obe r  2022.  The  issua nc e  of  AIP certificate marks a significant stage result of the research and development project and also represents that CCS enables the development of green shipping again by its  high - quality  technical  support  and professional services .

In  recent  years,  CCS  has  actively responded  to  the  actual  demand  of the industry for clean fuels such as ammonia and carried out lots of research work in the field of ammonia-fueled ships, which provides  the  industry  with  recognized technical  standards  for  the  design  and construction  of ammonia - fueled  ships,and  also provided  a  solid guarantee for the  safety  of ships  and  the  waterborne application  and  development  of clean energy .