decarbonizing the maritime industry and advancing the company’s efforts toward commercialization.
Amogy Inc., a New York-based startup specializing in the development of ammonia power systems, announced the successful trial voyage of the world’s first carbon-free ammonia-powered tugboat. The vessel, named the “NH3 Kraken” (originally built in 1957, see photo), navigated through the tributaries of the Hudson River, upstream from New York City. This demonstration signifies a significant achievement for the company, led by CEO and co-founder Seonghoon Woo.
(Text by Hiro Yamamoto)
Photo Courtesy: Amogy
The trial of the NH3 Kraken is one of the most significant applications of Amogy’s technology, following its earlier successes with unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial agricultural tractors, and semi-trucks.
Building on the experience gained from this demonstration, Amogy plans to focus on retrofitting existing vessels and applying its technology to newly constructed ships. The company is already advancing contracts with major industry players, including Hanwha Ocean, a leading South Korean shipbuilder.
Amogy’s patented ammonia power system operates by breaking down liquid ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen. The hydrogen produced is then supplied to fuel cells, which generate high-performance power with zero carbon emissions. This technology offers a sustainable and clean energy solution for sectors like maritime shipping, which have been notoriously difficult to decarbonize, as well as for stationary power systems. In this trial, the tugboat used green ammonia, produced entirely with renewable energy, further minimizing carbon emissions.
This demonstration represents a critical step toward global carbon emission reduction efforts. It also moves the maritime industry closer to meeting the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Amogy’s successful trial proves both the viability of its technology and the potential of ammonia as a carbon-free marine fuel.
“Governments around the world, along with industry organizations like the IMO, have set ambitious targets to reduce global carbon emissions. While these goals may seem daunting, they are absolutely necessary, and the success of the world’s first carbon-free ammonia-powered vessel demonstrates that they are achievable,” said Seonghoon Woo, CEO and co-founder of Amogy.
“By successfully showcasing our technology on the water for the first time, we have gained invaluable insights for commercialization and real-world application. The opportunity to decarbonize the maritime industry is now within reach, and for Amogy, this is only the beginning,” he added.
The global shipping industry emits approximately one billion tons of greenhouse gases annually—an amount comparable to the emissions of G7 countries such as Germany and Japan. The successful voyage of the NH3 Kraken strongly reinforces the potential of ammonia to revolutionize not only the maritime industry but also the future power generation sector.
〆米アモジー(Amogy)、世界初の炭素フリーアンモニア駆動の海上船舶を航行
アモジーの独自技術「アンモニア分解技術」による成功したデモンストレーションは、海運業界の脱炭素化に向けた大きな一歩となり、商業化に向けて企業を前進させる
アンモニア発電システムの開発などを手掛けるスタートアップ企業、米アモジー（Seonghoon Woo CEO＜最高経営責任者＞兼共同創業者、本社ニューヨーク）は、世界初の炭素フリーアンモニア駆動のタグボートのトライアル航行が無事に完了したと発表した。アモジーはアンモニア発電システムを搭載したタグボート「NH3クラーケン」（１９５７年建造＝写真）をニューヨーク市上流のハドソン川の支流で航行させた。
(Text by Hiro Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy= Amogy
アモジーのタグボート、NH3クラーケンのトライアルは、これまでにアモジーが成功させた無人航空機、商用農業用トラクター、セミトラックに続く最も重要な技術の応用例の一つになる。
アモジーは今回のデモンストレーションで得た経験をもとに、既存船舶の改造プロジェクトや新造船への技術適用に取り組む方針だ。アモジーはすでに韓国造船大手ハンファオーシャンなどの企業との契約を進めている。
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