Metacon AB, through its shareholding in Norwegian Pherousa AS (Pherousa), has received two initial Approvals in Principle (AiP) for its Ammonia Cracking technology, exclusively licensed to Pherousa for maritime use onboard ships, from American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and DNV, according to the company's release.
The AiPs, issued following independent evaluations, come with no show-stopper conditions, confirming the viability and safety of the Pherousa Ammonia Cracking technology when integrated with PEM Fuel Cells and Fuel Gas Supply Systems (FGSS) for fully electrical propulsion.
Key partners in securing the AiPs include ship designer Deltamarin, flag state Marshall Islands, FGSS supplier Babcock International, and Metacon.
Hans Bredrup, Chairman of Pherousa AS, stated, “Ammonia is gaining momentum as a hydrogen carrier for technology application onboard vessels, from coastal to deep-sea shipping and in parallel with this development, Clean Ammonia could potentially make up about 13 percent of the global ammonia supply by 2030. The AiPs now allow Pherousa to continue the design and construction of the zero-emission series of 64,000 dwt Bulk Carriers earmarked for the Copper industry. Only ships that have no carbon fuels onboard can ensure the end-users that the copper utilized for solar panels or electric cars is free of emissions in its supply chain.”
The technology, based on Metacon’s patented HIWAR® reactor, converts ammonia into high-quality hydrogen fuel and can be applied to PEM Fuel Cells, Ammonia-fueled Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) as pilot fuel, Hydrogen ICE, or Auxiliary Engines, offering 100% emission-free propulsion for vessels up to 15-20 MW. Pherousa Shipping, a subsidiary, collaborated with two major copper miners to design the 64,000 dwt Ultramax vessels for emission-free copper concentrate transport, targeting operational readiness by 2030 to comply with new IMO regulations.
Metacon AB is a Swedish company headquartered in Stockholm. Metacon develops hydrogen production systems, including ammonia cracking technology, and reported a revenue of SEK 43.7 million in 2023, focusing on green hydrogen solutions.
Pherousa AS is a Norwegian maritime technology firm based in Oslo, Pherousa specializes in ammonia-based propulsion systems and holds an exclusive license for Metacon’s technology.
ABS, based in Houston, USA, and DNV, headquartered in Høvik, Norway, are leading classification societies, with ABS certifying over 12,000 vessels and DNV overseeing 13% of the global fleet by gross tonnage as of 2024.