Green Ammonia as a Maritime Fuel: A Summary of Key Aspects Influencing Market Formation

This report is a key output from the MariNH3 ‘Acceptance’ theme and is the combined result of two work packages that study the legislative and socio-economic aspects of green ammonia technology uptake. Evidence was gathered through secondary materials, expert interviews, and a workshop over a period of ten months.

Whilst there is currently no legislation that directly relates to the use of ammonia as a fuel, this report includes some of the key legislative aspects that will inform future frameworks. Grounded in sustainability and economic geography theory, the report highlights some of the key barriers to the transformation required in the innovation system to enable a functional green ammonia technology market.

Update: Following a meeting of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) at the IMO this September (2024), interim guidelines for the use of marine ammonia fuel are now with the Maritime Safety Committee for consideration and approval in December’s meeting. The report will be updated in January 2025 to reflect the IMO changes once ratified, and any others introduced since it was published in May 2024.