Ocean Network Express has signed ship building contracts with both Hyundai Heavy Industries and Nihon Shipyard for five vessels each that are capable of using advanced fuels.
The ships, which will have a nominal capacity of more than 13,700 TEU, are due for delivery in 2025.
The company reports that the vessels are designed to the “highest” efficiency standards and are planned for the “Ready Notation” or “Approval in Principle” of ammonia and methanol as fuel and for Carbon Capture.
“Moreover, this fleet will enable ONE to broaden the exploration of long-term alternative fuels and decarbonizations technologies in the future”, the company said in a statement.
The company declared that it is “determined to become a leader in maritime decarbonization,” and that it “remains fully committed to achieving sustainable marine transportation by achieving carbon neutrality by 2050”.
Methanol
Methanol is the simplest form of alcohol. It is composed of four hydrogen molecules, one oxygen molecule and one carbon molecule. It has an energy density of 22.7 megajoules per kilogram. As combustion draws in oxygen from the air, the products of combustion are carbon dioxide and water.
Methanol can be made using sustainable materials such as biologically-produced carbon dioxide (e.g. from waste plant material). In such a case, the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by a methanol-burning ship would have originated from the atmosphere. So, although such vessels would not be “carbon-free”, the vessels are “carbon net zero” in that they do not add any extra carbon to the atmosphere.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a colourless and pungent compound gas at room temperature and at sea level. It also packs a punch as liquid ammonia has an energy density by volume of 11.5 megajoules per litre and an energy density by mass of 22.5 megajoules per kilogram. It is especially attractive as a potential fuel because it is composed of three hydrogen atoms and one nitrogen atom. As it is completely carbon free there are no carbon dioxide emissions from combustion. The products of ammonia combustion are water and nitrogen.
Exposure to ammonia in large doses is dangerous to humans. Exposure can result in chemical burns to the eyes, nose, throat, skin, and respiratory tract. High exposure can result in blindness, lung damage and death. Ammonia is also extremely toxic to marine life even at low doses.
However, ammonia is a well-established commodity that is already produced and traded in huge volumes. Accordingly, there is a substantial body of knowledge, technologies, systems and processes to safely handle ammonia,
Ammonia is a naturally occurring chemical – and is even produced by the human body. As an industrial chemical it is widely used in agriculture as fertilizer, as a refrigerant gas, and to make plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals, according to Energy Education.
Production of ammonia has, historically, involved a process that releases large volumes of carbon dioxide. However, ammonia can be made by using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen from the air to make ammonia. The left-over waste product, oxygen, is a valuable and useful industrial gas. Meanwhile, waste water (sewerage etc) often contains large volumes of ammonia and nitrogen, both of which need to be removed before water can be returned to the environment.
Ocean Network Express is a Shipping Australia member.
