Equinor signed a contract with Eidesvik Offshore to operate the Viking Energy supply vessel, which will now be fueled by ammonia, the Norwegian company announced Aug. 26.

Equinor said Viking will be the world’s first supply vessel to use ammonia as fuel and will be operational with low emissions in 2026. Wärtsilä will build the engine on behalf of Eidesvik.

The fuel conversion is expected to cut CO2 emissions from the vessel by at least 70% compared to the current propulsion system powered by LNG and marine gas oil, Equinor said.

The vessel supplies the company’s installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Equinor has ambitions to decrease maritime emissions from its Norwegian operations by 2030, according to Ørjan Kvelvane, Equinor's senior vice president for joint operations support. However, Kvelvane said the offshore fleet on the NCS is ageing and needs renovation.

“Investing in new technology is expensive, and there are many uncertainties. At the same time, scaling up the use of operational technology to enable the necessary transformation is urgent. Cooperation with the authorities and competent suppliers on phasing in recent technology is essential to achieving the emission targets we have set," Kvelvane said.

The Norwegian government has announced that it will establish requirements for low-emission solutions from 2025 and zero emissions from new supply vessels from 2029. 

Additionally, Equinor will contribute to the funding of the vessel’s ammonia conversion. The project is receiving 5 million euros (US$5.58 million) from the EU Horizon Europe program.

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