ABS has issued approval in principle (AIP) to Keppel Offshore & Marine for the ammonia-fueled ammonia bunker vessel at the heart of Project Sabre, an initiative from a consortium of leading maritime organizations to develop an ammonia bunker supply chain in Singapore.
As well as ABS, the consortium includes A.P. Moller – Maersk, Fleet Management Limited, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Sumitomo Corporation, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore.
The 188-meter-long, 33,000 m3 ammonia bunker vessel design, which is intended to carry liquid ammonia as a carrier as well as bunker fuel for a wide variety of receiving vessels, has been reviewed by ABS against the requirements outlined in the ABS Guide for Ammonia Fueled Vessels. The design would receive the ABS Notation ✠A1, Liquefied Gas Carrier with Independent Tanks.
Awarding of ABS AIP is the latest phase of Project Sabre, which began with an agreement in 2021 to conduct a feasibility study to assess the technical, commercial and regulatory viability of establishing an end-to-end supply chain to enable ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering in Singapore.