Study finds LNG and methanol are shaky bridges to ammonia
In the UK, University College London researchers posit LNG and methanol should not automatically be treated as stepping stones to ammonia in shipping. The paper finds that methanol creates very little physical or financial overlap with a future ammonia system, while LNG offers more technical spillovers but only becomes a meaningful bridge if ships and infrastructure are built to a genuinely ammonia-ready standard.
The paper’s main point is narrower than a blanket rejection. It says both fuels can generate some learning for a later ammonia transition, especially in regulation, operations and parts of the technology base. But it also concludes that neither LNG nor methanol can, under current conditions, be retrofitted to ammonia cost effectively in a way that clearly supports a full transition. For methanol, the problem is that storage and supply systems have minimal overlap with ammonia, even if engine-level changes are technically possible. For LNG, the overlap is stronger in areas such as storage, fuel handling and regulatory process, but the paper warns that LNG can also delay ammonia by locking in capital and infrastructure.
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
