Malaysia's MISC and China Offshore Engineering & Technology Company have received Approval in Principle from ABS for their design of a 1 million tonnes per annum ammonia floating production, storage and offloading vessel. The project is currently in the pre-front-end engineering and design phase, with this study, including capital and operating expenditure assessments, set for completion in the first quarter of next year.

Facility Design and Operation

The facility is designed to produce liquid ammonia, receiving feed gas from a nearby host facility like an oil-producing FPSO. Its topsides plant uses a robust, modular design capable of processing varying feed gas specifications to produce clean ammonia with 99.8% purity. When onboard storage is near capacity, the liquid ammonia can be directly exported to liquid ammonia carriers in tandem.

Collaboration and Technology

The consortium is working closely with ammonia technology licensors KBR and LNT Marine for the ammonia cargo containment design, specifically the LNT A-BOX system. ABS has been appointed to provide an independent review to validate the project's technical feasibility and safety.

Strategic Significance

This innovative floater adapts proven onshore production technology for offshore operations. It aims to transform unutilised hydrocarbon gas from nearby offshore facilities into high-value blue ammonia, which is stored onboard at cryogenic conditions. This standalone facility provides a pathway for upstream developers to monetise gas that would otherwise be reinjected. The concept strategically shortens the ammonia supply chain and improves its well-to-gate carbon emission profile, supporting the offshore industry's lower carbon ambitions.