SEAM: Key milestones unlocked in ammonia tugboat retrofit project with Amogy

Ammonia power solutions company Amogy Inc. and system developer and integrator SEAM have revealed that several milestones have been achieved in their retrofitting project of a 1957 tugboat with ammonia-to-power technology.

The retrofit involves a comprehensive overhaul of the tugboat’s original diesel generators and electric motors, integrating Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system.

Namely, the tugboat will be outfitted with a 1-megawatt version of the company’s ammonia-to-power system. It will be three times larger than what has been field-tested on Amogy’s ammonia-fueled semi-truck earlier this year.

The ammonia-to-power technology feeds liquid ammonia through its cracking modules integrated into a hybrid fuel cell system, which powers electric motors for zero-carbon transportation including shipping.

Ammonia producer Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA) will be providing green ammonia for the demonstration.

On the other hand, SEAM’s role in the project includes delivering the e-SEAMatic® BLUE package, incorporating the power system, integrated automation system, safety system, battery system, and electric motor for main propulsion.

SEAM said that the one of the key milestones reached in the project is the successful completion of Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) for the e-SEA® Drive and AC switchboards. Additionally, the electric motor, delivered in collaboration with RAMME Electric Machines GmbH, and the efficient supply of ORCA® batteries from Corvus mark crucial steps in advancing the retrofitting process.

The components are currently en route to Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, NY, where the installation phase will commence. This collaborative effort involves ship designer C-Job, Corvus, Ramme, and Amogy’s project team.

Amogy’s technology has received a lot of interest from the market. Most recently, the company teamed up with Azane Fuel Solutions, a Norwegian company developing an ammonia bunkering terminal, to explore the technical and commercial feasibility of using Amogy´s ammonia-to-power system on board an Azane-developed bunker vessel concept.

Azane has developed an ammonia fuel bunker vessel concept with a complete ammonia cargo handling system. The company is now looking for solutions to enable carbon-free propulsion of the ammonia bunker vessel. When fully developed, Azane plans to offer the ammonia bunker vessels to ports such as Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Singapore or other key ports.

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