MSC 110/6/8: The potential environmental impact of ammonia spills on the marine environment
Submitted by Pacific Environment, Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
Following the report of the thirtieth session of the technical group on the evaluation of safety and pollution hazards of chemicals (ESPH 30) and the approval of interim guidelines for the safety of ships using ammonia as fuel which were approved at MSC 109 in December 2024, the co-sponsors of this submission wish to bring to the Committee’s attention concerns around the use of ammonia (NH3) as an energy carrier, which will increase its transport by ship both as fuel and as cargo. The subsequently increased risk of spills will negatively impact aquatic environments, biodiversity, climate and perturb the nitrogen cycle, unless appropriate mitigations are introduced.
