Pioneering ammonia-powered ship shows off a greener future for shipping at Cop28

Fortescue

Source: © Angeli Mehta

Greener shipping on the horizon but regulations mean no port will take ships powered by ammonia yet

During the Cop28 world climate conference the glitzy yachts moored in Dubai Marina shared their berths with a very different vessel: the world’s first ship that can be powered by ammonia. However, global maritime rules mean that despite the ship being ready to set sail fuelled by ammonia, it’s not allowed to.

For an industry that contributes almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and carries 80% of the world’s trade, taking the carbon out of shipping has long been a challenge.