The Norwegian
Directorate for Civil Protection gave its approval for the construction of the
planned ammonia bunkering facility at Fjord Base in Florø, Norway. The permit
marks a significant milestone as it is the first permit for the building of an
ammonia bunkering facility, coming just after a project in Singapore reported
the first-ever bunkering of ammonia as a marine fuel and test aboard a vessel.
Yara Clean Ammonia and startup Azane Fuel Solutions
launched their efforts two years ago in 2022 to develop the first network of ammonia bunkering stations planned for Scandinavia. According to the companies, the permit
demonstrated how the planned ammonia bunkering terminal can meet the strict
safety requirement of the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB).
Work with Fjord Base,
operators of the largest offshore supply base for the oil and gas sector
located in Florø, Norway, the planned terminal consists of a floating
stationary barge with a capacity of 1000 cubic meters, or 650 tons, of ammonia.
The permit allows for up to 416 operations annually, many of these expected to
be bunkering operations for offshore supply vessels that regularly call at
Fjord Base in Florø.
“Now we finally know
with certainty the safety zones we will have to operate under when bunkering
ammonia,” said Steinar Kostøl, VP Projects & Products for Azane. The
required safety zones are very encouraging and demonstrate how it will be
possible to bunker ammonia in the biggest and busiest ports around the world.”
Yara Clean Ammonia,
Azane, and Fjord Base report they will now commence work with their project
partners to obtain a permit with the local municipality. They look to complete
this next step before a final investment decision on the first project.
The companies plan to
develop a network of terminals in Scandinavia to meet the anticipated demand
for ammonia as a marine fuel. They point to the early orders for ammonia-ready
vessels as engine manufacturers work to complete the modifications to their
engines and designs for the fuel supply system to commercialize ammonia-fueled
propulsion. They also highlight that ENOVA, which operates the Norwegian
Government’s Climate and Energy Fund to accelerate the development of new
energy technologies, is planning a new round of ammonia grant tenders for
ammonia-powered ships and ammonia infrastructure in 2024.
The Maritime and Port
Authority of Singapore working with partners including DNV and fuel supplier
Vopak started in October 2023 to complete testing and training to support
the first
ammonia bunkering operation. An initial load of three tonnes of liquid ammonia was loaded from
Vopak’s Banyan Terminal on Jurong Island in Singapore on a demonstration
vessel, an OSV converted by Australia’s Fortescue Group.
The tests were carried
out with the Fortescue Green Pioneer, a 3,100 dwt vessel built in
2010 and converted in 2023 to be able to operate on ammonia. According to the MPA, the fuel trial was
conducted over a period of seven weeks and included rigorous testing of the
vessel’s storage systems for ammonia, as well as the associated piping, gas
fuel delivery system, retrofitted engines, and overall seaworthiness. A
second bunkering of a further three tonnes of liquid ammonia will be loaded for
the Fortescue Green Pioneer in the next few weeks.
Further
tests and trials are planned as the validation process continues.