ShipFC innovates green ammonia fuel cells for deep-sea shipping
Page date: Published 12 Dec 2022; updated 30 Sep 2026. 4 min read.
The EU-funded ShipFC project set out to demonstrate a megawatt-scale solid oxide fuel-cell system powered by green ammonia on the offshore support vessel Viking Energy, owned by Eidesvik Offshore and operating for Equinor. The plan was to run the system for at least 3,000 hours over 12 months. The project also examined ammonia bunkering, commercial models and safety, and targeted a 70% reduction in Viking Energy’s greenhouse-gas emissions and over 80% reductions in some pollutants. These were project targets, not achieved results.
The article says the design targeted roughly 60% electrical efficiency, with possible use of waste heat, and that the fuel-cell concept could potentially use other fuels including hydrogen, methanol and LNG. Ammonia’s toxicity and flammability made safety a core workstream, involving DNV and regulatory development.
Status update on the page (2026): ShipFC was temporarily suspended in February 2025 after unresolved supply-chain issues with megawatt-scale solid oxide fuel cells and the withdrawal of its main supplier, Alma Clean Power. Although the ammonia system had preliminary design approval, the project did not proceed to full-scale vessel installation. The project formally concluded at the end of 2025 without a successor. The page says its engineering, safety and regulatory work continues to inform other initiatives.
Funding: Clean Hydrogen Partnership under grant 875156, with Horizon 2020 and Hydrogen Europe support. Partners listed include Alma Clean Power, Capital Executive Ship Management, Eidesvik Offshore, Equinor, Fraunhofer, Maritime CleanTech, NCSR Demokritos, North Sea Shipping, Persee, University of Strathclyde, Wärtsilä Norway and Yara International.
Related links: Transportation; Energy; Maritime; Hydrogen.