Classification society DNV presented Australian green technology, energy and metals company Fortescue with class and statutory certificates for its dual-fueled ammonia-powered vessel Green Pioneer. This marked the culmination of a project that began in 2021, when DNV was engaged by Fortescue to work on the feasibility study and 'Fuel ready (Ammonia)' notation for the vessel’s conversion.
DNV's Technology Qualification process provided the framework for the qualification and assurance of the engine modifications, where industry rules were yet to be developed. Additionally, DNV’s Gas Fueled Ammonia notation, an industry first, set out the requirements for the ship’s fuel system, fuel bunkering connection and piping through to the fuel consumers.
With no IMO regulations covering the specific use of ammonia, DNV and Fortescue utilized the SOLAS provision for Alternative Design Arrangements (ADA) with the backing of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, particularly around fire and evacuation risks.
Dino Otranto, Fortescue Metals CEO, said, "The Fortescue Green Pioneer proves to the world that the shipping industry can, and must, innovate to stop burning fossil fuels. We know 2024 is a pivotal year for global shipping and will have an enormous impact on ammonia’s use as a marine fuel this decade and beyond. The shipping industry must adopt early use of ‘real zero’, long-term solutions such as green ammonia.”
Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, DNV’s Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime, said, "Our global teams have worked closely with Fortescue over the last two years, from the engine bed-testing stage through to commissioning and trials, to help realize this milestone.”
In 2022, Fortescue converted a four-stroke engine to run on ammonia in combination with diesel at its land-based testing facility in Perth, Western Australia. Conversion work later began on the Green Pioneer at the Seatrium yard in Singapore to convert the vessel’s engines to run on ammonia in combination with conventional fuels.
Fortescue’s Green Pioneer completed the world’s first ammonia bunkering trial at an ammonia facility on Jurong Island, in the Port of Singapore in March 2024, following which the vessel received flag approval from the Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) and the ‘Gas Fueled Ammonia’ notation from DNV.