Case study: How Skarv Shipping Solutions will make big emissions cuts with ammonia

• Challenge: Minimise emissions in a newbuild vessel
  
• Solution: The Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia solution, which can use zero-carbon green ammonia as fuel
  
• Benefit: ~90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

Skarv Shipping Solutions is a pioneering venture that aims to deliver sustainable short-sea shipping in northern Europe. In support of this goal, their new cargo vessel will be powered by a Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia solution, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 90%.

The challenge: Minimise emissions in a newbuild vessel

Norway-based Skarv Shipping Solutions is a joint venture between ship owners Grieg Edge and Peak CSL Group. The venture aims to provide zero-emission maritime logistics and help to decarbonise short-sea transport in the area where it operates. To meet this goal, Skarv Shipping Solutions is investing in a range of eco-efficient solutions for its newbuild vessels.

The venture’s latest investment is a cargo vessel that will be built at the Huanghai shipyard in China. This vessel will be the first to benefit from the Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia solution, which will allow it to sail on zero-carbon green ammonia.

The solution: The Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia solution

Ammonia has emerged as a promising alternative fuel and will play a significant role in achieving the IMO 2050 goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Ammonia contains no carbon, so it produces no CO₂ when burned, and it is already traded globally via established storage, handling and transport infrastructure. 

Skarv Shipping Solutions is backing ammonia as a future marine fuel because it can be produced with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions when made using renewable electricity (so-called green ammonia).

Wärtsilä will supply the complete ammonia solution for Skarv Shipping Solutions’ new vessel, including:

• a Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia engine,
• an AmmoniaPac Fuel Gas Supply System,
• the Wärtsilä Ammonia Release Mitigation System, and
• a selective catalytic reduction system designed specifically for ammonia. 

The benefit: Dramatically lower emissions

Compared to equivalent diesel engines, Wärtsilä’s solution will reduce the vessel’s total greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% when the engine runs on green ammonia. This meets current EU emissions targets for 2050 and exceeds the IMO target for 2040.

Having a low-emission vessel in the fleet also helps with regulations such as FuelEU Maritime. FuelEU Maritime has a pooling mechanism to allow the benefits from a low or zero-emission vessel to offset emissions from conventional vessels in a fleet. This incentivises owners to invest in low-emission technology.

“Our aim is to prove that it is possible to renew the European short-sea fleet while making it more climate-friendly. That means implementing a whole array of technologies. We see ammonia as one of the future fuels and are happy to see strong European companies like Wärtsilä leading the push towards carbon-free propulsion. The Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia solution promises exactly what we are looking for: robust safety and environmental measures combined with advanced energy-efficient technology.” 
Jan Øivind Svardal, CEO, Skarv Shipping Solutions

Explore how the Wärtsilä 25 can cut emissions in your fleet.