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World's First Ammonia-Fueled Ship Hits a Snag
(spectrum.ieee.org)
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this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2025
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Those are fair considerations. However, I think in the context of a massive cargo ship, a penalty on energy density might be worth it to avoid the risks associated with ammonia releases. Of course, a nuclear reactor powered ship would run on the highest energy density fuel and is arguably safer to operate than a ship that runs on ammonia.
LH2 can work well for commercial shipping. Use at pace of boil off. Ammonia toxicity is a bit overblown. The tiniest leak will smell strongly, and it leaks as a gas. The smell threshold is far below toxicity level. Go outside is a natural solution.
Ammonia and LH2 have tradeoffs. Compressed H2 in "trimaran pontoons" is an excellent solution that would permit sail assist as well. Nuclear is too expensive.