Seven Japanese companies agreed on Tuesday, October 27, to build four ammonia-fuelled car carriers and develop an ammonia fuel supply chain centred on Japan's Chubu region.
All four vessels are scheduled for completion in 2030.
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and NYK will each own and operate two of the carriers. The vessels are anticipated to carry completed vehicles for customers including Toyota.
Shin Kurushima Dockyard will lead basic design, and Imabari Shipbuilding and Nihon Shipyard will take part in joint design and construction.
The carriers will have dual-fuel engines capable of burning ammonia. Their fuel tanks will be sized for trans-Pacific voyages on ammonia alone. Safety systems will include leak prevention and detection, as well as equipment to neutralise ammonia after a leak.
JERA will procure “green ammonia” and develop ship-loading facilities at its receiving terminal beside the Hekinan Thermal Power Station. Kyokuyo Shipyard will build a dedicated bunkering vessel, also due in 2030. NYK will own and operate it, either directly or through a wholly owned subsidiary.
A joint venture equally owned by K Line and NYK will sell the fuel through ship-to-ship bunkering, primarily at the ports of Nagoya and Mikawa. Transfers will take place alongside quays or piers, or at anchor.
On the same day, JERA signed a binding heads of agreement with AM Green for around 70,000 tonnes of “green ammonia” annually for five years. The fuel will come from AM Green's plant in Kakinada, India, and is intended primarily for the K Line and NYK venture.
K Line and NYK are also working with Sumitomo on a newbuild ammonia bunkering vessel for Singapore. In 2025, NYK's ammonia-fuelled tug Sakigake completed a three-month demonstration in Tokyo Bay.
