Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE), announced today that, together with ITOCHU Corporation(“ITOCHU”), Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd., MAN Energy Solutions (MAN), Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd., and NS United Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding joint development efforts for the commercialization of ammonia-fueled ships.
Ammonia is advancing as a key zero-emission marine fuel solution and if it becomes possible to commonly use ammonia as a marine fuel, this will greatly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The development and commercialization of ammonia dual fueled engines using ammonia as their primary fuel (ammonia-fueled engines) is essential for widespread use of ammonia-fueled ships. In particular, the ensuring of safety in the handling of toxic ammonia and the confirming of stable operations at sea are important milestones on the road to the social implementation. This MOU is based on the premise that 200,000 deadweight ton class bulk carriers to be built by Nihon Shipyard will be equipped with ammonia-fueled engines being developed by MAN as a pilot project prior to commercialization, and that the necessary operational data will be collected after the delivery of the ships for the commercialization of ammonia-fueled engines and ammonia-fueled ships in cooperation with other parties involved.