Ammonia

Ammonia is a promising, carbon-neutral fuel that has many applications. Apart from agricultural, industrial and marine fuel use, ammonia is also used for the energy storage of electricity produced by renewables. The ammonia supply chain is well-established due to its widespread use as a feedstock for inorganic nitrogen-containing fertilizers, as well as a variety of other industrial chemicals. Capitalizing on existing knowledge will enable a more rapid expansion of a new ammonia value chain for marine fuels.

Discuss your Ammonia project

Ammonia and infrastructure challenges

Green and blue ammonia are expected to become increasingly important fuel types for the shipping industry, requiring new bunkering infrastructure. Some ports will be retrofitted, but because the energy density is less than fossil based fuels, there will be a substantial need for additional infrastructure. Constructing this infrastructure with conventional methods for bunkering, such as constructing jetties, represents significant costs and environmental interventions.

ECONNECT Energy's Ammonia transfer solutions

ECONNECT Energy’s floating IQuay™ is designed to safely transfer ammonia in bulk and for bunkering purposes. The universal design of the IQuay transfer system enables connection to any terminal and ship type according to specific needs. The transfer system is flexible and can be deployed quickly and without the environmental impact of building conventional marine infrastructure. With the IQuay ammonia can be:

Exported from ammonia production facilities;
Imported for purposes of industrial use, or distributed for purposes of fuel or power production;
Used for marine bunkering by using the IQuay as an interface between storage tanks and vessels.

Ship Transport

Ammonia can be transported by a variety of ship types depending on temperature and pressure specifications.

Loading and Unloading

Loading and unloading from terminals to ammonia-carrying ships is handled safely with proper transfer systems such as loading arms/hoses, emergency shutdown valves, break-away couplings and more. Specialized training is required for handling toxic fluids.
The IQuay offers an additional safety measure by separating the vessel and the onshore terminal and reducing collision risk with any fixed infrastructure, which helps reduce any risk of loss of containment.

Ammonia Bunkering

The transfer of ammonia for bunkering purposes similar to that of LNG.

Plug & Play: Turn-key bunkering infrastructure when combined with onshore storage.
Universal: The loading system can be connected to a range in ship sizes and can be painlessly implemented into existing terminals.
Cost-efficient: Significantly lower CAPEX compared to dedicated bunkering vessels.
Safe: Rigorous safety standards are required when handling; the IQuay's extensive experience with strict safety standards from the LNG sector and dangerous goods makes it the perfect option for ammonia transfer.

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ECONNECT Enegy's Ammonia Solutions

The IQuay is designed for flexibility, so customers can combine Gas-to-Power with Bunkering operations in one single IQuay .

Distance from shore
50 - 800 m

Environment
Sheltered to harsh conditions

Flowrate
500 - 1,000 m3/h

Transfer lines
Floating flexible hoses

Vessel size
All

Design life
25 years

Our bunkering from quayside solution is suitable to a wide range of vessels and can be stored when not in use.

Distance from shore
Up to 300 m

Environment
Sheltered conditions

Flowrate
500 - 1,000 m3/h

Transfer lines
Rigid pipe

Vessel size
All

Design life
25 years

Floating Flexible Hoses

Field-proven cryogenic floating hoses with integrated leak system.
The flexible hoses can be provided from 6 to 20 inches in diameter.
Superior insulation ensures minimum boil-off gas generation throughout the system.
Hoses can be reeled onshore when not in operation.

Universal Attachment System

Vessels moored in less than 30 seconds.
Reduced vessel motion from swell, surge and passing ships.
Mooring teams not required - OPEX is minimal.
Reduced operating times for tugs and harbour pilots.

Unmanned during operation - remote controlled

All systems are remotely monitored and operated from the onshore control room.
Full overview of the process flow parameters and status of all main systems onboard.

Roughly 10-20hrs for loading and discharge

Process system will be sized according to the flow rate requirements of the client.
The time frame for loading and discharge is roughly 15-25 hrs depending on large or small-scale application.

Fully redundant ballast system

The ballast system enables the unit to follow the ammonia carrier vertically during loading and unloading.
Remotely operated by the operator onshore.
100% redundancy ensures that any single failure event does not delay the operation.

Operational in significant wave height of 2 meters

The platform is optimised for minimum wave response, with extensive numerical and experimental modelling and research.
The vacuum attachment system further reduces motions when attached to the ammonia carrier.

Power and signals via umbilical

A robust flexible floating umbilical provides power, signals and communication to the IQuay platform.

The umbilical runs parallel to the floating hoses, and can be reeled.
The IQuay platform is equipped with a UPS, which will keep critical systems live in case of loss of power from shore.

Minimum boil-off gas generation

Due to the superior insulation properties of the floating hoses, the boil off generation throughout the system is minimal.
Rigid piping and valves on the platform are also insulated to further reduce heat inleak.

Focus on Safety

The platform is equipped with an industry standard ship-shore-link system, which interlinks the ESD systems of the Ammonia carrier, the IQuay platform, and the terminal.

Fire, smoke and gas detectors are located throughout the unit, which will instantly trigger ESD and shut down process flow.

Talk to us about your project

Learn more about Jettyless Transfer

Traditional Jetty vs Jettyless

We take a look at traditional LNG import and export infrastructures and explain why jettyless can enable energy projects across the globe.

LNG Terminals

With several different types of terminal configurations, we give you the knowledge to secure the most competitive solution.

Floating Transfer Solutions

Energy sustainability and conservation of marine biodiversity are key to a healthier future. Learn more about what floating transfer solutions can accomplish.

A selection of our customers and industry partners

We are dedicated to realising and
de-risking your marine infrastructure project

ECOnnect Energy was born from first-hand experience with the challenges and inefficiencies of traditional LNG offloading methods from ship to shore. Our core offerings remove the need for fixed and permanent infrastructure such as quays, jetties, trestle structures and loading platforms.
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Dredging, which is expensive and damaging to coastal areas, can be eliminated with ECOnnect’s floating jettyless transfer solution.

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