Maersk Tankers lines up EU backing for four VLAC ammonia conversions

Danish shipowner Maersk Tankers has moved closer to converting four very large ammonia carriers to run on the cargo they transport after its retrofit proposal was selected for support under the European Union’s Innovation Fund.

The project, known as RIPPLE, involves installing dual-fuel, two-stroke ammonia engines on four vessels in the company’s expanding gas carrier fleet.

The European Commission has invited the project to begin grant agreement preparations, although the amount of funding has not yet been finalised.

Crucially, Maersk Tankers said any decision to proceed would depend on securing commercial commitments from customers.

The proposed conversions would allow the vessels to use ammonia as propulsion fuel rather than relying solely on conventional marine fuels.

According to the Commission’s project description, RIPPLE would demonstrate the EU’s first dual-fuel ammonia retrofit on a VLAC.

The project is expected to avoid more than 1.2m tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions over ten years, assuming the conversions and planned operations go ahead.

Maersk Tankers is building up a fleet of ten 93,000 cu m VLACs at South Korea’s HD Hyundai Samho.

The company re-entered the gas carrier sector in 2023 with an initial four-ship order, followed by additional option exercises.

The vessels were specified with the possibility of converting to ammonia propulsion, although installation of the necessary engines has always depended on commercial and regulatory conditions.

The latest funding selection moves that option a step closer to implementation.

The Commission selected 77 projects under its latest Innovation Fund round, with final grant agreements expected to be determined during the first quarter of 2027.

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