The world’s first commercial-use ammonia-fuelled vessel, Sakigake, has successfully completed a three-month demonstration voyage, during which the vessel engaged in tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay and achieved a GHG-emission reduction of up to approximately 95 per cent.
The vessel was completed by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and IHI Power Systems Co (IPS) on 23 August 2024, in cooperation with Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) as part of a Green Innovation Fund Project under Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
NEDO will continue to promote research and development of next-generation fuel vessels, including developing an ammonia-fuelled ammonia gas carrier and working toward achieving carbon neutrality in the shipping industry.
To achieve net-zero emissions in marine transport, it is essential to switch from existing heavy fuel oil to gas fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon recycling methane. Developing marine machinery for hydrogen-fuelled/ammonia-fuelled vessels is also necessary.
The development project of this vessel started in October 2021 as part of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project; ‘Development of vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engines’. It was completed in August 2024, becoming the world’s first commercial-use ammonia-fuelled vessel. Afterward, NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha engaged the vessel in a three-month demonstration voyage while conducting tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay.
NYK and IPS analyzed the ammonia co-firing and GHG-reduction rates during vessel operations and confirmed them to consistently exceed 90% and rise to approximately 95% in each of the main engine load ranges, as shown in the table below. The demonstration tests while in tugboat operation is the world’s first trial, confirming that ammonia is one of the most viable and promising options as a next-generation fuel for vessels.
A commemorative ceremony was held at the port of Yokohama to mark the successful completion of the vessel’s three-month demonstration voyage and celebrate this Green Innovation Fund Project milestone. Representatives from NEDO, NYK, IPS, ClassNK, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the city of Yokohama attended the ceremony.
The vessel will continue to be used for tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay, and we will continue to accumulate knowledge related to the development and operation of ammonia-fuelled vessels.
In addition, NYK, Japan Engine Corporation, IPS, and Nippon Shipyard Co Ltd are working together to develop an ammonia-fuelled ammonia gas carrier, which is scheduled to be delivered in November 2026, also as part of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project; ‘Development of vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fuelled engines’.
