A consortium of four Japanese companies — Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Japan Engine Corporation, IHI Power Systems and Nihon Shipyard — announced they signed a series of contracts that will see the organizations build the world’s first ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) that is equipped with Japanese engines.

According to Offshore Energy, the 10.5-million-gallon ammonia fuel ammonia carrier, which is being built at the Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) Ariake Shipyard, is scheduled to be delivered in November 2026.

In 2021, Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) chose the four companies to construct the vessel. The organizations designed a prototype carrier that received Approval in Principle (AiP) in September 2022 after completing a safety verification process that included an assessment by the ship classification society ClassNK. From there, the consortium continued to conduct research and development into the vessel until it determined the prototype had reached a level of sufficient social implementation.

As the vessel approaches completion in 2026, the consortium will manufacture the ship’s main and auxiliary engines. Japan Engine Corp. will be in charge of the main engine while IHI Power will provide the auxiliary engine.

Once completed, the four companies will operate the vessel for demonstration purposes to confirm its performance while using feedback to make further improvements to its marine equipment.