Ammonia-Fueled Cargo Ship GreenAmmonia Completes Maiden Voyage: A Third Route to Zero-Carbon Shipping

On February 26, 2029, Danish shipping giant Maersk's container vessel GreenAmmonia completed its maiden voyage from Shanghai to Rotterdam, achieving zero carbon emissions over 28 days. This marks the third zero-carbon fuel technology route for ocean shipping — after methanol and hydrogen — entering commercial validation.

GreenAmmonia is 366 meters long with a capacity of 16,000 TEU, powered by an ammonia-fueled two-stroke engine developed by MAN Energy Solutions. An onboard catalytic cracking system decomposes liquid ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen before combustion, producing no CO2 in the exhaust. Nitrogen oxide emissions are controlled below IMO Tier III standards through selective catalytic reduction.

"Ammonia storage and transportation infrastructure has existed for 80 years — there are over 200 ammonia terminals worldwide," Maersk's head of green transition Morten Bo Christiansen said. "This is one of the key reasons we chose ammonia over other alternative fuels."

However, ammonia fuel safety remains an industry concern. Ammonia is highly toxic and corrosive, and leaks could cause serious accidents. GreenAmmonia is equipped with triple-layer ammonia detection and emergency isolation systems, and crew members must complete specialized ammonia safety training.

Currently, green ammonia production costs approximately $1,200 per ton, 2.5 times that of conventional marine fuel. Maersk expects costs to reach parity with fuel by 2031 as green ammonia production capacity expands.