NYK, IHI get design approval for ammonia fuelled tugboat

Japanese companies NYK Line and IHI Power Systems (IPS) have obtained approval in principle (AiP) from the classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for an ammonia-fuelled tugboat currently being jointly researched and developed, the companies said in a joint statement issued on July 12. This is the world's first tugboat using ammonia as fuel that has obtained AiP from ClassNK.

This project is part of the Green Innovation Fund project within Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation for the development of vessels equipped with a domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engine, adopted in October 2021 for NYK Line and IPS.

For this AiP, NYK Line and IPS attempted a design to safely and practically install ammonia fuel-related equipment in a limited space on board by developing an ammonia fuel engine, selecting equipment, and devising the equipment layout in the design. As a result, the companies have achieved the design of A-Tug, which overcomes the above challenges without changing the size of a conventional tugboat.

The parties obtained the AiP after a prescribed examination by ClassNK. The companies said they will work toward starting initial operation at the port of Yokohama in 2024.