Amogy has recorded the “world’s first” voyage of a hydrogen-based ammonia-powered maritime vessel, the NH3 Kraken.
The tugboat, originally constructed in 1957 and retrofitted with Amogy’s ammonia-to-electric power system, sailed on a tributary of the Hudson River, upstream from New York City in the US.
Amogy’s technology cracks the liquid ammonia into nitrogen and hydrogen, with the latter then funnelled into a fuel cell to generate power with zero emissions. During this demonstration, green ammonia was used to further reduce the carbon footprint.
The operation is expected to be applied by Amogy to “real-world applications of this technology,” such as retrofit projects and new builds. The Brooklyn-based firm plans to release a case study providing additional technical details soon.
“Governments across the globe and industry organisations like the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) have set aggressive goals to reduce global carbon emissions,” explained Seonghoon Woo, CEO and co-founder of Amogy.
“These goals seem daunting, but they’re necessary – and our successful demonstration of the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered vessel proves they’re achievable.”
H2 View understands that the global shipping industry currently emits close to one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. The IMO requires the maritime industry to reach Net Zero by 2050.
The CEO added, “Ammonia is the world’s second most produced chemical, with around 20 million tonnes moving around the globe through 200 ports each year.
“With that track record, shifting the industry mindset to use it as a fuel is completely achievable, and can happen at an accelerated pace.”
In April (2024), ITOCHU agreed to potentially integrate Amogy’s ammonia cracking technology onto its owned, operated or chartered maritime vessels.
Read more:ITOCHU to explore potential of using Amogy ammonia cracking tech onboard its vessels
