Wärtsilä to supply ammonia-fuelled engine for coastal cargo vessel

Wärtsilä Corporation has won a contract to provide a Wärtsilä 25 ammonia-powered engine for owner Skarv Shipping Solutions, which operates cargo vessels on the Norwegian Coast.

The vessel is thought to be the first of three similar units for which the shipping company has received a grant of NOK 130 million from Enova, a Norwegian Government Agency that supports sustainable energy projects.

The ships are to be built at Huanghai shipyard in China. Wärtsilä will supply the four-stroke engine, the fuel gas supply system, and exhaust gas aftertreatment technology.

Ammonia as a marine fuel has significant potential in certain applications. According to a recent study by Wärtsilä, existing decarbonisation initiatives, such as fuel efficiency measures, have the potential to reduce ship emissions by up to 27%. To take this further will require the use of sustainable fuels, such as ammonia, the company concluded.

Skarv Shipping’s CEO, Jan Øivind Svardal, commented: “Our aim is to prove that it is possible to renew the European short-sea fleet while making it more climate-friendly. That means implementing a whole array of technologies. We see ammonia as one of the future fuels and are happy to see strong European companies like Wärtsilä leading the push towards carbon-free propulsion. The Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia solution promises exactly what we are looking for: robust safety and environmental measures combined with advanced energy efficient technology.”

Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by at least 90% when the engine operates on green ammonia, the companies said, compared with equivalent diesel engines. The machinery will enable Skarv Shipping to meet current European Union emissions targets for 2050, as well as exceeding the IMO target for 2040.

Skarv Shipping Solutions is a joint venture between Peak Group and Grieg Edge.