Amogy's Ammonia-powered Tugboat Sets Sail

A 67-year-old tugboat converted to run on Amogy's cleaner-burning ammonia-to-power technology has set sail for the first time in upstate New York.

The 105-foot tug, originally built in 1957 and recently renamed NH3 Kraken, is the first vessel globally fitted with the innovative, carbon-free power system, developed by Amogy to reduce emissions from hard to abate sectors such as maritime.

The conversion project was carried out at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. and involved a comprehensive overhaul of the tugboat's original diesel generators and electric motors, integrating the Brooklyn startup's 1-megawatt ammonia-to-power system.

Amogy’s onboard solution feeds liquid ammonia through its cracking modules integrated into a hybrid fuel cell system that will provide zero-carbon power to the vessel’s electric motors. Ammonia, which does not emit CO2 when used as a fuel, has been gaining interest in the maritime industry as stakeholders explore options to decarbonize vessel operations. Green ammonia produced with renewable energy results in zero well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions.

The demonstration sailing, performed on a tributary of the Hudson River, upstream from New York City, both proves both the viability of Amogy’s technology and marks a significant step toward reducing global carbon emissions and moving the maritime industry closer to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) target of net-zero emissions by 2050, Amogy said.

“Governments across the globe and industry organizations like the IMO have set aggressive goals to reduce global carbon emissions. These goals seem daunting, but they’re necessary – and our successful demonstration of the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered vessel proves that they’re achievable,” said Seonghoon Woo, CEO and co-founder of Amogy. “By demonstrating our technology on the water for the first time, we’ve gained invaluable knowledge that will help us move quickly to commercialization and real-world applications. The opportunity to decarbonize the maritime industry is within reach, and for Amogy, it’s just the beginning.”

Having already proven its technology on an aerial drone (5 kW), tractor (100 kW) and semi truck (300 kW), Amogy said the NH3 Kraken trial is the final technical demonstration ahead of product commercialization. The company has several agreements in place to supply its technology for other vessel types worldwide.

“Ammonia is the world’s second most produced chemical, with around 20 million tons moving around the globe through 200 ports each year. With that track record, shifting the industry mindset to use it as a fuel is completely achievable, and can happen at an accelerated pace,” Woo said.

Amogy said it plans to publish a case study with technical details from the NH3 Kraken pilot in the coming months.