The world's first seagoing tugboat Sakigake powered by ammonia has completed three months of trials in Tokyo Bay. This was reported in a press release by the classification society ClassNK
Based on the results of the demonstration trials, the emission reduction level of the vessel, owned by the Japanese company NYK, consistently exceeded 90% and averaged 95% under various main engine loads. ClassNK materials note that this is the first case of using ammonia as an additional fuel for tugs
Sakigake will continue to carry out towing operations in Tokyo Bay to further collect data on the operation of vessels on ammonia
The tug conversion project started in October 2021. The vessel was originally built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), but after eight years of operation, it was decided to upgrade it to ammonia. The project was implemented by NYK in cooperation with the Japanese company IHI Power Systems and the classification society ClassNK.
