Finnish engineering firm Wartsila has been expanding its reach into the sustainable marine fuels markets as it backs a multi-fuel approach to decarbonization.
The company recently announced a deal with Norwegian shipowner Eidesvik to convert its offshore supply vessel, the 6,013 deadweight Viking Energy, to an ammonia engine beginning in 2026. This vessel is chartered to Norway's Equinor, which will contribute to financing this conversion, Wartsila said.
The engine that will be used for this project is the first four-stroke engine that is commercially available to the maritime sector, according to Wartsila. The company started testing the technology on Eidesvik's ship in 2021 and the ammonia engine was made available beginning in 2023. Wartsila said that its ammonia engine can cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70pc.
The company is in discussions with other shipowners interested in its ammonia engine, Roger Holm, president of Wartsila Marine, told Argus. Holm declined to discuss further details.
The ammonia system also includes safety features that aim to mitigate risks associated with using it as a marine fuel like storing it properly onboard to avoid leaking.
Wartsila invests in methanol
Wartsila has also invested in methanol-fueled engines since it launched that product in 2022.
The company supplied its engines to French container-ship company CMA CGM and Swedish ferry operator Stena Line last year.
Holm declined to say how many methanol-fueled engines it has supplied since its launch two years ago, but he touted methanol as having a key role in shipping's decarbonization, including bio-methanol and e-methanol as current short-term options for the maritime industry to use.
Methanol should not be viewed as the singular solution to decarbonize shipping, Holm said, and it must support developing various sustainable fuels.
"While methanol is one of the most in-demand sustainable fuels, so far outweighing that of ammonia, and biofuel today, it cannot cater to all the different needs and requirements across the whole industry," Holm said.
Hydrogen likely to struggle as a marine fuel
Warstila's portfolio appears to be thinner when it comes to using hydrogen because of a few detrimental factors associated with using it in shipping.
The amount of space needed for tanks to carry the hydrogen onboard is about 20 times that of diesel, Holm said. To store the hydrogen in liquid form, it needs to be kept below -253 degrees Celsius, which requires a lot of energy. Lastly, the explosive nature of hydrogen requires a greater focus on how the hydrogen is insulated on board to prevent any leaking, Holm said.
In a report the company released earlier this year, Wartsila projects that supply for green synthetic fuels, made from hydrogen through renewable electricity, will not be scaled up until the late 2030s or early 2040s. The synthetic fuels are also likely to cost about 3-5 times more than fossil fuels by 2030 and 2-3 times higher by 2050, the company said.
Their modeling is based on implementing a global policy to phase out fossil fuels, according to Holm.
"We must continue to call for decisive policy and industry-wide collaboration to enable the multi-fuel future that will decarbonize the industry," Holm said.
