Sailing Toward Progress: Louis Dreyfus Powers Ahead with Green Ammonia-Fueled Ship

France: Louis Dreyfus Ports and Logistics Upholds Innovation with FRESH Hydrogen Ship: Collaboration with Korean Register Ensures Regulatory Compliance. The French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Ports and Logistics (LDPL) launched a revolutionary new vessel, named the Floating Renewable Energy Solution for Hydrogen (FRESH). This remarkable vessel is equipped to store and supply H2 using green ammonia technology.

LDPL worked in conjunction with specialized engineering companies to develop this innovative concept, which passed an extensive examination from the Korean Register (KR) classification society last year. As KR is not yet covered by current classification prescriptive rules, the collaboration between both parties was essential to guarantee that the safety of the vessel meets marine industry practices.

The partners sealed their agreement in September 2022 as part of a memorandum of understanding, thereby committing to creating a regulatory compliant technical framework prior to FRESH’s commercialization in 2025. Furthermore, KR’s approval in principle granted to LDPL in November 2022 proved FRESH's safety and technical viability.

The innovative process of making ammonia with 100% renewable and carbon free energy, not only creates urea and fertilizers but also produces Hydrogen and nitrogen. The conventional reactors and separation technologies used in the dissociation process are readily accessible, facilitating the production of electricity from fuel cells for both stationary and mobile applications.

Furthermore, green ammonia is easy to store and ship, making it an ideal solution for supplying clean Hydrogen energy worldwide. LDPL recognizes this potential, expressing their ambition to industrialize and commercialize FRESH's Hydrogen ship by 2025.

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs is proud to be at the forefront of the energy transition with their innovative concept, Floating Renewable Energy Solution for Hydrogen (FRESH). This vessel can store green ammonia and Hydrogen, while also providing an environmentally friendly framework to further industrialize green energy supply.

Utilizing green Hydrogen as an energy carrier has a range of potential applications as it can be converted back into electricity using a fuel cell or directly injected into a combustion engine. The company intends to create a worldwide import and export supply chain that operates solely on clean renewable sources such as green ammonia and Hydrogen cells. Hyung Chul Lee, KR Chairman and CEO, showed his enthusiasm for the project by stating that FRESH would revolutionize the delivery of Hydrogen and will make it easier for maritime sectors to decarbonize other hard-to-abate industries.