Alfa Laval has signed its first contract for the ammonia fuel supply system, FCM Ammonia, for the maritime industry. The FCM Ammonia will be installed onboard seven LPG/ammonia carriers for Tianjin Southwest Maritime.

Alfa Laval has achieved a significant milestone by securing the contract for the ammonia fuel supply system, highlighting its technological readiness to handle ammonia as fuel. The FCM Ammonia will be installed on a CSSC Huangpu Wenchong shipyard in China for ship owner Tianjin Southwest Maritime (TSM). The installation will commence with three 25,000 cubic meter vessels, followed by four 41,000 cubic meter vessels.

The Alfa Laval FCM Ammonia, designed for secure use of ammonia, includes a fuel supply system (FSS) as the primary solution for feeding the fuel to the engine. This base system is integrated with fuel valve train (FVT) for isolating the engine from upstream systems and vent treatment system (VTS) for ensuring a controlled vent release into the atmosphere. The dedicated automation system of FCM Ammonia regulates all critical functions of FSS, FVT and VTS.

The FCM Ammonia contract follows extensive testing and development conducted in close collaboration with Swiss engine designer WinGD. In December 2024, comprehensive testing of the full fuel supply system, fuel valve train, and vent treatment system commenced at WinGD’s Engine & Research Innovation Center (ERIC) in Winterthur, Switzerland. These tests, utilizing test benches delivered by Alfa Laval Monza, will first validate key components for the vent treatment system, also called the ammonia release mitigation system, and then secure control logic and performance at varying engine loads.

The research and development project with WinGD for testing FCM Ammonia has laid a strong foundation for its commercial adoption. This is further evidenced by K Shipbuilding receiving Approval in Principle (AIP) from ABS in December 2024 for the design of an ammonia dual-fuel MR1 tanker.

The project, a collaboration between South Korea’s shipbuilder K Shipbuilding (KSB), Alfa Laval, WinGD, and the classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), saw Alfa Laval contribute to the design of the entire fuel system, including the ammonia fuel supply system, fuel valves train, and vent treatment system, with Alfa Laval also adding an Aalborg ammonia dual-fuel boiler system to the project scope. This achievement marks the first instance of a combined vent treatment system incorporating both a water absorber and burning.

The first FCM Ammonia unit for TSM is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2025.