BSM Ammonia Day: Demystifying Ammonia as the Carbon-Free Shipping Fuel

Published on 17 Mar 2025

“It was rewarding to see the high level of interest and engagement focussing entirely on the future use of Ammonia as a marine fuel.” © BSM

The BSM Ammonia Day brought together industry experts and interested stakeholders to explore the potential of Ammonia fuel to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The event was hosted by BSM in partnership with Lloyd’s Register and was held at the Empire Riverside Hotel in Hamburg. Speakers and panellists represented Amon Maritime, Azane, SGMF, Lloyd’s Register, WinGD, MAN B&W, Wärtsilä, Alfa Laval, TGE and Babcock-LGE. It was very rewarding to see the high level of interest and engagement focused entirely on ammonia as carbon-free marine fuel.

The key Insights and takeaways from the event were as follows:

  • Ammonia is produced and transported widely around the world already.
  • Ammonia-burning 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines are already available now - with the production portfolios due to expand from 2025. However, there is not yet any practical experience in using Ammonia fuel at sea.
  • The bunkering infrastructure ashore is being developed - mainly in Norway, Rotterdam, Singapore and Hamburg – and many existing LPG/Ammonia gas tankers are suitable for conversion as bunkering vessels.
  • Strong collaboration of all parties will be needed to get the ammonia supply and consumption network finalised.
  • IMO is developing regulations, but they will be finalised as we gain experience. There are interim guidelines, and BSM has contributed to the series of valuable Ammonia documents produced by SGMF. Ammonia fuel is much better placed to start operations compared to the LNG sector some twenty years ago.
  • Even before regulations are finalised, training courses have been developed to give sea staff the necessary background to operate Ammonia burning systems safely. This follows on from the wide experience across the gas sector in carrying bulk Ammonia cargo.
  • Ammonia made from renewable resources is the only carbon-free fuel that can make a difference to GHG emissions. Production facilities are under construction around the world, but so far there is no indication of cost. However, it looks likely the Ammonia fuel price will be about the same as Marine Gas Oil (MGO) on an energy-content basis when taking into account current and future emissions regulations.

BSM is a “fuel-agnostic” company, and we manage all vessels - regardless of their fuel type. However, we have watched with great interest the phenomenal speed at which Ammonia fuel has developed over the past 5 years. The pace of development is set to increase yet further as we build up our in-service experience.

While no one in the room could rely on a crystal ball, there was large consensus that ammonia may be a key contender in shipping’s decarbonisation journey. After all, it’s carbon free.

Event Presentations

BSM - Meet Ammonia – the New Fuel
SGMF - Regulatory progress for adoption of ammonia marine fuels
Amon Maritime - BSM Ammonia Day
BSM - Impact of Ammonia and other Alternative Fuels on Crew and Crew Training
LR - De-risking Ammonia Fuelled Ships
Win GD - Let’s talk about Ammonia
MAN Energy Solutions - Ammonia engine development
Wärtsila - Sustainable Fuels
Alfa Laval - Innovative Solutions Enabling Safe and Efficient Use of Ammonia - 2
Azane - Enabling Ammonia as marine fuel
Alfa Laval - Innovative Solutions Enabling Safe and Efficient Use of Ammonia - 3
TGE Marine: Navigating the Future: Ammonia and its application as a fuel in the industry
LR - Ammonia Global Market Outlook & Technology Prospects
Babcock LGE - Ammonia Fuel Market / Technology Prospects and Global Outlook

BSM Ammonia team of experts

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