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Ammonia has a higher volumetric energy density than liquid and compressed hydrogen but a lower volumetric energy density than bunker fuel and LNG.

In the quest to decarbonize the shipping industry, a key consideration is the choice of fuel. The energy density of different fuels significantly impacts their viability and efficiency for long voyages and heavy loads. Below is a comparison of commonly used or proposed shipping fuels ranked by their volumetric energy density (measured in megajoules per liter, MJ/L):

  • Bunker fuel: 38 MJ/L
  • LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas): 22 MJ/L
  • Methanol: 15.8 MJ/L
  • Ammonia: 12.7 MJ/L
  • Liquid hydrogen: 8.5 MJ/L
  • Compressed hydrogen: 4.5 MJ/L 1

Sources:​

Footnotes​

  1. McCurdy, M., & Podal, P. (2024). E-methanol: A critical step to enable a hydrogen economy and carbon capture. Inner City Fund. https://www.icf.com/insights/energy/e-methanol-enable-hydrogen-economy-carbon-capture ↩