Viking Energy to have ammonia retrofit
The technology will be demonstrated onboard Eidesvik Offshore’s PSV Viking Energy, in operation for Equinor (Source: Peter Tubaas)
The 2003-built offshore support vessel, Viking Energy, is to have an ammonia engine retrofit, making it the first vessel of its kind to use ammonia as fuel. The Eidesvik Offshore-owned vessel will continue to operate with the new engine for Norway’s state-owned energy company, Equinor, from 2026.
The so-called Apollo project, supported by a EUR 5 million grant from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, will involve the retrofit of an ammonia-powered Wärtsilä 25 engine. The Viking Energy is already a demonstrator in the EU-funded ShipFC project in which ammonia-powered fuel cells are being tested.
Apollo is the result of a broad partnership including shipowner, charterer, and engine builder. Other parties include sustainable technology network, Maritime CleanTech (Norway), Breeze Ship Design (Norway), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Deme Group NV of Belgium, and Greece’s National Centre of Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’, which will assess safety criteria.
The partners will prepare a range of concepts and designs aimed at facilitating the prompt adoption of ammonia engines as an alternative for both existing and new ships. VTT will oversee the scope for the fuel technology to be extended for use by other ship types. Ship design services will be provided by Breeze, and Wärtsilä will provide the fuel supply system, the engine itself and a service agreement.
“Apollo represents an important step in our journey towards carbon-free shipping operations,” declared Gitt Gard Talmo, CEO and President of Eidesvik Offshore, which is based in Sunnhordland, not far from Bergen. “Eidesvik has a unique history as a pioneer in showcasing new technologies to curb emissions, and we take pride in again assuming this role alongside Equinor.”
The Viking Energy is a record-breaking ship. On delivery in 2003, it became the first cargo vessel to operate on LNG. Then, in 2016, the ship was the first to have DNV’s ‘Battery Power’ notation. And in 2020, the vessel became the first to embark on a contract with zero-emission technology. The five-year deal, awarded in connection with the ShipFC project, involves the installation of ammonia fuel cells to provide up to 2 MW of power.
