Fuel cell, ammonia powered container ship: A case study

The shipping industry has a great impact on the global anthropogenic and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, yet carbon emissions from shipping have been rising by 9.3% from 2012 to 2018 (MEPC 2020). Therefore, IMO has imposed strict regulation to reduce the CO2 emissions from the shipping sector by 70% until 2050 and the GHG emissions by 50% compared to 2008 levels (IMO 2020). Along with this incentive there is a high challenge to safely and successfully introduce these zero carbon solutions. This work describes the design of an ammonia fuel cell powered feeder containership that will solely sail with ammonia. A feasible preliminary general arrangement is proposed with safety being the prime concern for the innovative ship design. This work helps to prove that ammonia is a feasible solution for decarbonising the shipping sector and can be safely integrated on large ocean-going vessels.