LR greenlights floating ammonia cracker unit

September 10, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

A consortium of companies has received approval in principle (AiP) from the UK’s class society Lloyd’s Register (LR) for a floating ammonia cracker unit (FACU).

As explained, FACU is a solution that enables direct hydrogen supply from offshore to onshore by equipping vessels with technology that thermally decomposes ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen.

It is expected to accelerate the use of hydrogen energy toward the realization of a decarbonized society.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), South Korean shipbuilder HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), and its affiliate HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) have finalized the conceptual design, including the process layout and general arrangement of FACU.

In support of this achievement, the US technology company Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) collaborated on the ammonia cracking process and module design, enabling a single-train capacity of 1,000 ton/day hydrogen supply based on H2ACT technology. Furthermore, US ammonia-to-power solutions provider Amogy has introduced a new catalyst solution.

As the demand for hydrogen, a clean energy source, continues to grow, establishing a robust supply chain is said to be crucial for its widespread deployment.

By receiving ammonia, cracking it onboard, and delivering hydrogen to onshore, this solution contributes to the stable supply of clean energy in areas where building onshore facilities is challenging, and the establishment of a hydrogen supply chain toward decarbonization.

In other news, Höegh Evi and Wärtsilä Gas Solutions developed earlier this year what is said to be “the world’s first” floating ammonia-to-hydrogen cracker.

Launched in April 2023 as part of Norway’s green platform program, the development was completed in April 2025, marking ‘a major step’ in the energy transition.

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