Eidesvik to convert first offshore vessel to ammonia-power with Wärtsilä
An offshore supply vessel designed for offshore wind turbines is being converted to use ammonia. The ship will run on ammonia from 2026.
The Viking Energy vessel of the Norwegian shipping company Eidesvik serves the needs of the energy company Equinor. In early 2026, it will be converted to run on ammonia, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70%. The vessel is expected to start operating on ammonia in the first half of the same year, making it the world's first ammonia-fuelled vessel in service. The engine will also be able to run on other fuels if required.
Equinor will lease the vessel and also finance its conversion. In addition to the Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia engine, Wärtsilä will supply a complete ammonia solution for the vessel, including the AmmoniaPac fuel gas supply system, Wärtsilä's ammonia emission reduction system (WARMS) and a selective catalytic reduction system designed for ammonia. The service contract for maintenance and servicing is integral toaims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The Apollo concept can play an important role in demonstrating the needed solutions the deal.
The European shipping industry has a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The Apollo concept can play an important role in demonstrating the solutions needed, as the technology is suitable for a large part of the European fleet.The design will be adapted to allow shipowners, ship designers, shipyards, classification societies and insurance companies to implement the Apollo solution in their decision-making processes as early as 2027.
The conversion of Viking Energy to ammonia is the result of a partnership between Wärtsilä and Eidesvik in the Apollo project, co-funded by Horizon Europe. The programme aims to accelerate the transition to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050 by funding projects such as Apollo that promote research and innovative solutions related to climate, energy and mobility. Apollo is led by a consortium of eight European companies and institutions. The project is coordinated by Maritime CleanTech (Norway) and partners include Eidesvik Offshore ASA (Norway), Equinor (Norway), Wärtsilä (Finland), Breeze Ship Design (Norway), VTT, Deme Group NV (Belgium) and the National Scientific Research Centre "Demokritos" (Greece).
VTT is leading research on adapting the technology to different types of platforms. VTT acquired, processed and analysed AIS data from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to better understand how the selected vessels operate. The results will be used as input for power and consumption models to support the determination of power requirements for different vessel types and sizes in the Baltic and North Sea regions. This approach will allow an assessment of fuel consumption and the space required on board for different fuel types and their impact on the overall arrangement, cargo capacity and vessel autonomy.
Viking Energy is also a demonstration vessel in the EU-funded ShipFC project, which aims to test ammonia fuel cells.
Emissions from waterborne transport are a major challenge, and the European shipping industry is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The Apollo concept can play an important role in demonstrating the solutions needed, as the technology is suitable for a large part of the European fleet. The design will be adapted so that shipowners, ship designers, shipyards, classification societies and insurance companies can adopt the Apollo solution in their decision-making processes as early as 2027.
