Project start CF08_1 Ammonia inland ferry

Stephan Laiminger (Jenba­cher INNIO), Stephan Treib­mann (Weiße Flotte GmbH) and Jens Wart­mann (ZBT) inspect the engine room of the Warnow ferry in Rostock that is to be converted.

In August, our joint project “Deve­lo­p­ment of a concept for the emis­sion-free opera­tion of an inland waterway vessel with ammonia fuel” with the part­ners ZBT, DST, DNV, HOST, ISV, IKEM, Tamsen Maritim and Weiße Flotte, with a funding volume of € 1.2 million by BMBF WIR! started. The overall  goal of the CF08 project line is to equip an inland waterway vessel as a test vehicle for an ammonia-fired combus­tion engine and to install the neces­sary tank, safety and peri­pheral systems. The feasi­bi­lity and func­tio­ning of the ammonia-based propul­sion system as well as the fuel hand­ling will be inves­ti­gated on the basis of the func­tional proto­type. Toge­ther with the parallel results of an economic feasi­bi­lity study and the proce­dure within the exis­ting safety and legal frame­work, the project results not only serve to convert the ship selected as the test vehicle, but also as a blue­print for the adapt­a­tion of inland vessels. In the future, this can also be used on seagoing vessels as an approach for a rapid imple­men­ta­tion of the new tech­no­logy for emis­sion-free ship­ping and reduc­tion of the impact of ship­ping on climate change. The objec­tive of project CF08_1 is to develop the concept of a modular stan­dard gene set for a 350 kW ammonia cracker — gas engine propul­sion system, to imple­ment and commis­sion the cracker and to deter­mine the economic viabi­lity and market price dyna­mics.  Concepts for tank system, safety and peri­pheral systems are deve­loped and trai­ning concepts are elabo­rated. Finally, a guide­line for the conver­sion of inland vessels for ammonia opera­tion will be deve­loped. In connec­tion with the tech­no­lo­gical deve­lo­p­ments, inves­ti­ga­tions of the Euro­pean and national regu­la­tions for the certi­fi­ca­tion of inland vessels and the elabo­ra­tion of further deve­lo­p­ment possi­bi­li­ties of the legal frame­work will be carried out.