The MPA postpones the willingness to bunker ammonia

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has poured cold water on recent assertions that the port was ready to conduct ammonia bunkering trials this year.

The MPA issued a statement to Seatrade Maritime News and others in response to inquiries about ammonia bunkering, after the Global Center for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) released the results of its study on the safety of ammonia bunkering in Singapore.

The MPA response did not challenge the report’s finding, but pushed back the idea that the port was now ready to conduct an ammonia transfer this year and that the study’s findings paved the way for pilot projects to continue.

“These views do not represent the assessment of the MPA and other government agencies – the timeline before the end of 2023 is not realistic and should not prejudge the results (an expression of interest to build, own and operate low-carbon or zero-carbon hydrogen and ammonia bunker solutions scheduled for December 2022 issued) as well as further assessments and standard developments by the MPA and the competent authorities,” the MPA said.

The 2023 timeline was set in a quote from Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD, included in a GCMD press release stating: “We are targeting the first transfer of ammonia to occur by the end of 2023, subject to change the granting of the green light by the competent supervisory authorities.”

MPA is a co-founder of GCMD and is providing approximately half of the initial funding for the center, with the other half being split between six other founding partners.

MPA emphasized that it is committed to decarbonization and research into low-emission fuels through testing, piloting and collaborations. “However, these efforts must be accompanied by a thorough validation of the studies, a calibration of models to assess the impact of incidents (e.g. through near- and far-field dynamic modeling and validation of mitigation measures) and rigorous procedures to ensure the safety of the port, the port community and the ship’s crew,” it said.

The Authority noted presentations during the recent Singapore Maritime Week on the safety of ammonia as a fuel and the conclusions in those presentations that “Further dispersion and release studies are needed to better understand the impact of a release under different environmental conditions and scenarios, and that available mitigation and response measures require further work.”

Source: News Network