Ammonia Ship Fuel Seminar Highlights Engine, Port and Safety Challenges

Ammonia’s potential as a marine fuel depends on more than whether a ship’s engine can burn it. Ports would need ways to store and transfer the fuel, operators would need controls for toxic leaks, and its emissions would need to be assessed across both production and use. Those connected challenges shaped a technical seminar held by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London on September 17, 2026.

The seminar examined ammonia fuel technology, production and supply infrastructure, emissions control, and safety and environmental risks. About 800 people attended in person or online, including representatives from member states, intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, maritime companies and academia. The event was organized through the IMO’s Future Fuels and Technology Project.

Fuel systems and port operations

Participants discussed the steps needed to move ammonia from production to a ship’s fuel system: storage, transport to the port, and refueling. They also reviewed port infrastructure and developments in ammonia powered ship machinery. These pieces have to work together in practice. A vessel’s fuel system relies on a dependable supply, while ports need suitable equipment and processes to handle transfers safely.

The seminar’s focus on tanks, piping, leak detection and ventilation reflects the operational demands of ammonia as a fuel. Its toxic and corrosive properties make containment and exposure controls central to system design. Crew protection and emergency response also need to be considered alongside the machinery that stores and uses the fuel.

Refueling brings those concerns together at the port. Operators need to manage the transfer itself, prepare for leaks, and account for the possible effects of escaped ammonia on the marine environment. The source describes these as topics for evaluation at the seminar; it does not identify a particular port, project schedule or agreed operating standard.

Emissions depend on the supply chain

Ammonia contains no carbon, but that characteristic alone doesn’t establish its climate performance. The emissions tied to making and supplying the fuel can be significant, depending on how it is produced. As a result, assessing ammonia only at the point of use on board would leave out a major part of its environmental footprint.

Emissions from the ship itself also matter. Participants addressed ways to control nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) that may arise when ammonia is used as fuel. The seminar identified management of these emissions as important to the fuel’s environmental performance. For operators weighing fuel options, the practical question is therefore broader than whether ammonia can replace another fuel in an engine: production methods, supply arrangements and onboard emissions all affect the assessment.

This creates a linked set of decisions for ship and port planners. Engine development has to account for emissions controls, while fuel storage and transfer systems have to address ammonia’s hazards. Ports, in turn, need infrastructure suited to the supply and refueling operations. The seminar considered these topics together, but the source does not report specific technology choices, performance figures or deployment dates.

Technical information and the wider project

Opening the event, David Osborn, director of the IMO Marine Environment Division, stressed the value of reliable technical information in international discussions of alternative fuels. He said decisions should rest on solid evidence and called for a shared understanding of both existing technology capabilities and unresolved technical issues. That emphasis is relevant to ammonia because the fuel’s promise and its operating demands sit side by side.

The Future Fuels and Technology Project is a collaboration between the IMO and South Korea. Its stated aim is to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international maritime transport by supporting broader use of alternative fuels and new technologies in the sector.

The ammonia event was the project’s fifth technical seminar. Earlier sessions covered onboard carbon capture and storage, the maritime energy transition, biofuels and methane based fuels. Together, the topics reflect the range of technical approaches being discussed for reducing emissions from shipping.

For ammonia, the next practical questions lie in how engine systems, emissions controls, fuel supply, port equipment and crew safeguards can be developed to work together. The seminar brought those issues into one technical discussion; the source reports no final decisions or implementation timetable. Its main operational takeaway is that ammonia’s suitability as a ship fuel will depend on the full chain from production to onboard use, with safe handling and emissions control built into each stage.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye