JAPANESE container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has secured the approval in principle (AiP) for an ammonia dual-fuelled vessel, according to media reports.

The 3,500 TEU vessel design was jointly developed by ONE, Nihon Shipyard and classification society DNV, as part of a joint development project established in late 2022 among the three parties.

ONE's parent companies - Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Mitsui OSK Lines and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha - are all committed to developing ammonia-powered ships across a range of segments.

"Ammonia is definitely one of the primary focuses of our research as ammonia fuel has a great potential of generating lower GHG emissions than conventional marine fuels. We are pleased to have made such a progress, and we will continue our study on ammonia," said Koshiro Wake, senior vice president of corporate strategy and sustainability at ONE.

"Ammonia is one of the promising future marine fuels with great potential to decarbonize shipping. We are confident that DNV's rules for ammonia will help our customers to safely adopt this new dual type once the infrastructure is in place," added Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, regional manager Southeast Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime at DNV.

ONE has set a target to achieve net-zero GHG emissions, encompassing scope 2 and 3 by 2050.