ABS Approves MISC and China Offshore’s Ammonia FPSO Design

MISC and China Offshore Engineering & Technology Company have received the Approval in Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for their design of an ammonia floating production storage and offloading (FPSO).

This innovative floater solution adapts proven onshore production technology for offshore operations, transforming unutilized hydrocarbon gas from nearby offshore facilities into high-value blue ammonia, which is stored onboard at cryogenic conditions.

This standalone facility provides a viable pathway for upstream developers to monetize gas that would otherwise be reinjected, strategically shortening the ammonia supply chain and improving its well-to-gate carbon emission profile.

The Ammonia FPSO will receive feed gas from a nearby host facility, such as an oil-producing FPSO. Once storage is near capacity, the liquid ammonia can be directly exported to Liquid Ammonia Carriers (LAC) in tandem. The topside plant utilizes a robust, modular design, capable of processing varying feed gas specifications to produce clean ammonia with 99.8% purity.

The project is currently in the Pre-FEED phase, with the AiP milestone achieved in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Pre-FEED study, which includes a thorough assessment of capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX & OPEX), is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2026. The facility is designed for an annual production capacity of 1.0 million tonnes of liquid ammonia.

This initiative is jointly developed by MISC and China Offshore. Both parties work in close collaboration with ammonia technology licensors - Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) and LNT Marine for the ammonia cargo containment design (LNT A-BOX System). ABS is appointed by the consortium to provide independent review and validate the project’s technical feasibility and safety.

“The Ammonia FPSO concept is aligned with MISC’s commitment to delivering. Progress and accelerating the pathway to deliver more energy with less emissions. This new concept is a result of strategic collaboration that drives impactful change that is needed in our industry. 

"By adapting a proven onshore technology for offshore use, we are not just creating a new concept, we are supporting the offshore industry to achieve its lower carbon ambitions,” said Zahid Osman, President and Group CEO of MISC.

“ABS is proud to share our deep insight into the safety challenges of ammonia, along with our extensive technical expertise on complex floating production facilities,” said Miguel Hernandez, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore.