Approvals for ammonia-fuelled vessels increased in the run-up to Posidonia and featured both combustion engine and fuel cell power systems.

2023 marked a breakout year for ammonia, and new orders have continued this year with at least 13 orders for vessels to date, according to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform.

Orders include the May announcement from Trafigura that it has signed a contract for four ammonia dual-fuel gas carriers from HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. This followed news of Exmar’s latest newbuilding gas carriers which will be the first oceangoing vessels to be propelled by dual-fuel engines capable of operating with ammonia. Four vessels were originally ordered to operate on LPG, but in October last year, Exmar declared an option to change the fuel system to ammonia.