Amogy's Ammonia-Powered Maritime Vessel

Introducing the NH₃ Kraken: the world's first carbon-free, ammonia-powered tugboat.

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Vessel Type

Tugboat

Application

Retrofit

Demo Date

Summer 2024

Ammonia Powered Tugboat Underway

First came the drone (5 kW), then the tractor (100 kW), then the truck (300 kW).

Now… The NH₃ Kraken: the world’s first carbon-free ammonia-powered vessel set to sail later this year.

The NH₃ Kraken will take its maiden voyage in an inland waterway in New York, presenting the first-ever carbon-free, ammonia-to-electrical power platform for decarbonizing the maritime industry.

The tugboat was originally built in 1957 and used diesel generators and electric motors. Amogy is retrofitting the NH₃ Kraken with its ammonia-to-electrical power system, as part of its final technical demonstration as we head toward product commercialization.

The NH₃ Kraken represents a monumental step towards reducing carbon emissions and moving the maritime industry closer to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) net-zero emissions target by 2050.

The History of the NH₃ Kraken

Originally known as “Virginian” after the Virginian Railroad Company, the tugboat took its maiden voyage in 1957 from Oyster Bay, New York. Tugboats played an important role in mid-century shipping as an efficient way to help barge rail cars through waterways. Before delivery, it was renamed W.R. Coe, sharing its name with a business executive who sat on the Virginian Railroad Company’s board of directors.

Deborah Quinn tugboat

After a merger between the Virginian Railroad Company and the Norfolk Western Railway Company in 1959, the tugboat took the name R.B. Claytor. It kept that name and role until 1970, when it was sold to the Boston Fuel Transportation Company, a subsidiary of Reinauer Transportation Company, and renamed Karen Tibbetts. From then until 2009, it was used as a ship docking tugboat, with an occasional job to shift or tow an oil barge — the humble but important day-to-day labor that ensures fuel transportation runs smoothly.

It was sold to Breakwater Marine in 2009 and renamed the Deborah Quinn, where it was used in support of Breakwater Marine's construction and dredging business, helping to expand waterways to allow access for a wider variety of vessels and maritime uses.

By 2019, it was sold to Feeney Shipyard and used to support ice-breaking operations at the shipyard in Kingston, New York. Due to increasing climate change, which has caused little to no ice to form on that part of the Hudson River in recent years, Feeney Shipyard sold the tugboat to Amogy last year and is now leading our construction efforts for the retrofit project.