Apollo – ammonia combustion engine
Eidesvik Offshore, Equinor and Wärtsilä to cooperate in world’s first ammonia conversion project
In project “Apollo” the platform supply vessel (PSV) “Viking Energy” will be equipped with an ammonia dual fuel engine. In 2026, the vessel will operate on ammonia for Equinor, reducing GHG emissions by 70 percent or more.
The PSV, which has been under contract with Equinor since its launch in 2003, will switch to ammonia operations, in a move that should make it the world’s first in-service vessel to adopt the fuel as a primary energy source.
Ammonia has emerged as a promising alternative ‘clean fuel’ for longer voyages, such as North Sea supply routes, and Viking Energy will take that potential from the drawing board to reality. In addition to chartering the vessel Equinor contributes with financing of the conversion.
Eidesvik believes that to achieve the industry’s decarbonisation targets, not only newbuilds will need to have the appropriate technologies, but existing vessels must also be retrofitted accordingly. Furthermore, prolonging the life of existing assets requires less capital and is less energy-intensive than building new ones.
A strong partnership
Viking Energy is no stranger to the record books, having previously made history as the first LNG-powered offshore vessel, before being converted to the first ever hybrid with a DNV ‘Battery Power’ notation in 2016. Its latest evolution, named the ‘Apollo’ project, will see the installation of a Wärtsilä W25 dual fuel engine, capable of operating on ammonia and MGO.
Viking Energy, which in relation to the projectwas awarded a new five-year contract until 2030 with Equinor in the North Sea, is expected to operate on ammonia from the first half of 2026. Wärtsilä will supply the ammonia technology, while Breeze Ship Design will handle all necessary ship design services. Cluster organisation Maritime CleanTech has worked with the partnership to secure a grant of 5M€ from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.
In addition to the ammonia dual fuel engine, Viking Energy is also a demonstrator vessel in the EU-funded ShipFC project where the aim is to pilot ammonia-powered fuel cells.