EXMAR has taken delivery of ANTWERPEN, a 46,000-cubic-meter LPG and ammonia carrier described by WinGD and the Belgian owner as the first ocean-going vessel designed to operate on ammonia fuel. The ship uses WinGD’s X52DF-A two-stroke ammonia engine and is the first of four sister vessels that will give the market an early commercial test case for ammonia propulsion in deep-sea service.
For TankerMap readers, the significance is not only decarbonization headlines but what this means for the future operating profile of gas carriers and potentially tankers as alternative-fuel infrastructure expands. TankerMap data context: ammonia-ready propulsion is becoming a closer watch item across gas shipping, tanker newbuilding strategy and port bunkering development, especially as owners weigh emissions rules against fuel availability, safety requirements and fleet renewal decisions.