AFC Energy's Latest Generation Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Ammonia Cracker Selected 
for ZeroCoaster's Ship Design

Opens door to use of green ammonia to decarbonise the global maritime market

AFC Energy, a leading provider of hydrogen power generation technologies, is 
pleased to announce a milestone achievement set to unlock adoption of Ammonia 
and high energy dense alkaline fuel cell technology in the multi-billion-dollar 
effort to decarbonise global maritime.    

International certification agency, DNV, has now awarded "Approval in 
Principle" (or "AiP") status for the ZeroCoaster ammonia fuelled cargo ship, 
confirming an independent assessment that the ship's design is feasible and 
there are no obstacles to the design being commercially realised.

AFC Energy believes this is the first time an alkaline fuel cell with ammonia 
cracker and fuel storage has received this approval which opens the door to the 
use of green ammonia to decarbonise the maritime market

Highlights
- ZeroCoaster Consortium is led by Vard Engineering Brevik AS and includes ABB, 
Trosvik Maritime, SINTEF Ocean and HK Shipping and is sponsored by the 
Norwegian Government. 
- Objective is to design next generation coastal cargo ships to accelerate the 
transition to zero-emission shipping solutions. 
- To meet 2030 decarbonisation targets for the shipping industry, Norway alone 
is expected to require 1,100 zero or low emission ships, including 450 bulk 
carrier cargo ships of the type envisaged by ZeroCoaster. 
- AFC Energy began work with VARD, ABB and ZeroCoaster partners in June 2021 to 
design and engineer a modularised bulk carrier cargo ship propulsion system 
fuelled with green ammonia. 
- The technology chosen for the ship's 1.2MW capacity is AFC Energy's new "S" 
Series heavy duty marinised platform which is expected to host 2 x 600kW of 
alkaline fuel cell systems plus ammonia cracking technology within modular 40ft 
containers. 
- VARD will now commence commercial discussions with prospective customers for 
the purchase of new ammonia fuelled ships, featuring AFC Energy's marinised 
fuel cell and cracker module.

Andreas Buskop, General Manager, Engineering at Vard Engineering Brevik AS, 
said: "VARD has long shown leadership in maritime design and innovation with a 
focus of accelerating the transition to zero emission.  We strongly believe in 
the role Green Ammonia will play in supporting industry's aspirations to "go 
green", and working alongside industry leaders in alkaline fuel cell 
technology, AFC Energy, we are pleased to have gained confirmation of our AiP 
from DNV, highlighting what we understand to be a world first in ship design 
for ammonia fuel cell and cracker utilisation.  We now look forward to further 
working with AFC Energy in taking this design to commercial fruition." 

Adam Bond, Chief Executive Officer at AFC Energy, said: "The maritime 
industry's increasing reliance on Green Ammonia as a decarbonisation fuel lends 
itself perfectly to AFC Energy's high energy dense alkaline fuel cell 
technology.  Having worked in design concepts for the past six months on the 
marinisation of our integrated, heavy duty fuel cell and cracker technologies, 
we are pleased to have been invited to partner with world leading ship 
designers and builders such as VARD to highlight the potential for the safe and 
compliant propulsion and auxiliary powering of cargo ships as part of the 
ZeroCoaster project. Receipt of AiP from DNV is simply a confirmation and 
validation of the role our technology will play in supporting mariners to 
achieve stringent greenhouse reduction targets."

DNV, one of the world's leading classification and certification bodies in the 
maritime industry has evaluated the design and integration of the alkaline fuel 
cell module with in-built cracker and concluded that the design complies with 
all relevant maritime rules, regulations and standards.  

This AIP marks another key milestone in unlocking the vast potential of Green 
Ammonia as a zero-emission fuel within the maritime industry, alongside 
deployment of AFC Energy's high energy dense fuel cell platform and cracker 
module.  The AiP confirms the design is feasible and that there are no 
obstacles that could prevent the solution from being realised. 

The ZeroCoaster coastal bulk cargo programme, coordinated by VARD, a major 
global ship design and ship build company, aims to evaluate and present zero 
emission ship design solutions using alternative maritime fuelling systems, 
including Green Ammonia.

The programme, funded by the Research Council of Norway, will now look to 
incorporate the storage, handling and cracking of Green Ammonia fuel to 
generate hydrogen which is then utilised within a zero-emission alkaline fuel 
cell system supplied by AFC Energy for propulsion and auxiliary power. 

Norway has set a target to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, which is expected 
to require up to 1,100 zero emission (or low emission) ships in Norway alone, 
including 450 bulk cargo ships such as the ZeroCoaster. 

Green Ammonia has been highlighted as a key fuel to support the decarbonisation 
of the global maritime industry with estimates suggesting the fuel could be 
used to decarbonise up to 25-30% of maritime fleets.  

www.afcenergy.com
www.vard.com
 
Source:  AFC Energy PLC