Belgium’s FPS Mobility, EXMAR and Lloyd’s Register have helped secure IMO approval for safety guidelines covering ammonia as fuel on IGC ships at the 111th session of the Maritime Safety Committee, according to FPS Mobility.
The Directorate-General Shipping of FPS Mobility led the drafting work at the IMO, using EXMAR’s and Lloyd’s Register’s experience in midsize gas carrier shipbuilding and operations.
The guidelines are designed to move ammonia-fuelled shipping from early projects towards an international safety framework, while keeping safeguards tied to operating practice rather than theory.
FPS Mobility maritime expert for alternative fuels Nathalie Deleuze said the aim was to have “an appropriate regulatory framework” in place in good time and aligned with “the realities on the ground”. KBRV head of environmental and technical affairs Celine Audenaerdt said the partners combined in-house competence and hands-on experience to develop “robust and practical safety guidelines”.
Lloyd’s Register global head of technology adoption and integration Liam Blackmore said approval of the guidelines signals that ammonia is moving “from concept to a fuel with an emerging international safety framework”.
EXMAR director fleet operations and technical business development Kristof Coppé said the work drew on more than four decades of operational experience.
The IMO had already adopted interim guidelines to support early movers and the first vessels designed to run on ammonia. The latest approval is intended to support the first ammonia-fuelled ships as they enter service and feed operating experience into a fuller international safety regime.
Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport is a federal public authority covering mobility and transport policy, including maritime administration through its Directorate-General Shipping.
EXMAR is a Belgian maritime and energy infrastructure company active in gas shipping and floating gas infrastructure.
Lloyd’s Register is a maritime classification society and technical advisory organisation providing assurance, compliance and risk services.
KBRV, the Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association, represents Belgian shipowners and maritime companies on technical, environmental and regulatory issues.