On August 23, the ammonia-fueled tugboat Sakigake was completed by NYK and IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd. (IHI Power Systems) in cooperation with Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). This is the world’s first ammonia-fueled vessel for commercial use.* The NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha will employ the vessel in tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay over a three-month demonstration period.

This vessel was a Green Innovation Fund Project* initiated in October 2021 under Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to develop vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fueled engines.

The predecessor, the LNG-fueled tugboat of the same name, was completed in August 2015 as the first LNG-fueled vessel in Japan. After eight years of tug service in Tokyo Bay, the vessel was docked at the NYK Group’s Keihin Dock Co. Ltd. for conversion to an ammonia-fueled vessel. The main engine, etc., were replaced with ammonia-fueled ones, and sea trials were conducted using ammonia as fuel. The completed vessel has taken the name Sakigake, hoping it will be a pioneer of ammonia-fueled vessels, just as it was of LNG-fueled vessels.

As part of the development of vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fueled engines through NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project, NYK is conducting research and development on an ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) with Japan Engine Corporation, Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd., IHI Power Systems, and ClassNK. This vessel is scheduled for delivery in November 2026.

The NYK Group will continue to contribute to the decarbonization of the shipping industry by promoting and expanding the use of ammonia-fueled vessels, utilizing the knowledge gained through the research and development of these vessels.

* The “world’s first” claim is as of August 23, 2024, according to research by NYK.