lomarlabs and Blaze set 2027 shipboard pilot for compact fuel reformer
In the UK, lomarlabs said on March 17 it will work with Blaze Energy, a Wheat Ridge, Colorado-based fuel-flexibility company, on a pilot installation aboard a Lomar vessel to test Blaze’s third-generation, compact, engine-integrated Flex-Fuel Reformer, a system designed to convert ammonia, methanol or LNG into hydrogen onboard ship so propulsion and power equipment can operate on full or partial hydrogen blends under real marine conditions.
The pilot, scheduled for early 2027 after land-based testing and engagement with classification societies, will first be proven through ammonia. Blaze Energy is positioning the technology as a way for existing engines to use multiple alternative fuels without large standalone reforming equipment or dedicated hydrogen supply chains. The company said injecting small quantities of hydrogen can accelerate combustion of slower-burning fuels such as ammonia, reduce ammonia slip, improve combustion efficiency and mitigate methane slip in LNG engines.
The partners said the trial follows laboratory validation and is intended to generate the technical and operational evidence needed for classification approval and later retrofit and newbuild deployments. lomarlabs framed the project as a response to shipowners facing tighter regulation under the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime, uneven fuel availability and the risk of locking vessels into a single long-term fuel choice.
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
