The Nordic Green Ammonia Powered Ship (NoGAPS) project was initially funded for one year under the Nordic Innovation Mobility Mission: Sea Meets Land in 2020.
The project carried out a concept study exploring the potential to initiate the transition to a long-term decarbonized shipping sector through the deployment of an ammonia-powered ammonia carrier. The study identified key options for de-risking and deploying such a ship.
Building on the findings and momentum from the initial project, Nordic Innovation has now decided to co-fund NoGAPS for an additional 24 months. The project consortium consists of major industry actors Global Maritime Forum, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Yara, BW Epic Kosan, MAN Energy Solutions, Wärtsilä and DNV.
Aiming to impact the Nordic ammonia-powered shipping
During this period, the project will produce a detailed ship design for an ammonia-powered ammonia carrier – the M/S NoGAPS – which will lay the foundation for a shipyard tender and the construction of the vessel. The design will be well-informed by, and communicated to, the broader ecosystem of actors in ammonia-powered shipping in order to promote standardization in the sector.
The work will address challenges in vessel design identified in the initial NoGAPS project, including:
- safety (materials and configuration for fuel storage and engine room, crew placement, containment systems, etc);
- optimal tank sizing and placement;
- and energy efficiency among other issues.
The medium-term objective (2024/2025) of the project is to have the M/S NoGAPS in operation in the region. The long-term (2025-) impact objective of the project is to establish the infrastructure, operational and business models for ammonia-powered shipping in the region. This will accelerate the decarbonization of the Nordic maritime ecosystem, stimulate investment and job growth in the sector, and create a leading position globally for Nordic actors throughout the value chain.
Decarbonizing the shipping sector with ammonia
The potential demand for green ammonia as a marine fuel is huge, as there are over 90.000 vessels in the world merchant fleet, who annually consume 250-300 million tonnes of oil, which represents a global market of more than USD 1 trillion. With the Nordic region taking a lead role in showcasing technologies using ammonia as a fuel, this project will contribute to accelerating the global Nordic position as a provider of solutions in the value chain for ammonia-powered shipping.
Ammonia-powered shipping is a credible route to contribute to the long-term decarbonization of the shipping sector, as confirmed by analyses from the IRENA, University College London/Lloyd’s Register, EDF and others. By leveraging its existing industrial and geographical advantages, the Nordic region can both accelerate its own decarbonization and create a strong position in the future global market for ammonia-powered shipping.
As demonstrated in the initial NoGAPS project report, ammonia carriers offer a significant opportunity to introduce ammonia-powered shipping early, given their advantages with respect to handling and safety routines and bunkering.
Establishing a design for these carriers is the crucial next step to bridge the existing concept to operations in the Nordic region. As the first ammonia engines are expected to be ready in 2024, the timing is ideal for developing this design in 2021-2022.
The M/S NoGAPS will be a ship that operates commercially in the Nordic region and the project partners (particularly Yara and BWEK) involved in that operation have significant strategic interests in ensuring that the ship contributes to the spread of zero-emission ammonia-powered shipping.
Background
The NoGAPS project was initially co-funded by Nordic Innovation through the Nordic Innovation Mobility Mission: Sea Meets Land.
The NOK 8 million mission, formulated as decarbonising Nordic ports, transport of people and goods – on and between sea and land – ran in 2020 and 2021 and was an initiative to bring shipping in line with the Paris climate agreement. In March 2020, five projects were awarded co-funding and in November 2021 the NOW Ports project was announced winners of the mission.
However, since several of the co-funded projects has shown promising results and contributed to create strong Nordic innovation collaborations, Nordic Innovation has decided to extend the co-funding for some of them as part of our continued work with mobility and connectivity in the Nordic region.
