BW Offshore and McDermott International have taken a formal step forward for an offshore low‑carbon fuel project after their joint blue ammonia FPSO concept received Approval in Principle from classification society DNV, MarineLink reported on 2 October 2026.
The concept couples floating production, storage and offloading technology with blue ammonia production, and was developed by BW Offshore in partnership with McDermott International. The move signals industry interest in adapting FPSO architecture to alternative‑fuel manufacture at sea.
Scope of the concept
The proposal centres on an FPSO configured to produce and store ammonia declared as blue ammonia in the report; BW Offshore and McDermott are identified as the concept’s joint developers. MarineLink’s item describes the arrangement as a combined production, storage and offloading facility adapted for offshore ammonia output.
DNV approval
According to the report, DNV granted an Approval in Principle, referenced as AiP9, for the design. The publication presents the acceptance as advancing the proposed offshore low‑carbon ammonia production, indicating the concept has met key technical or conceptual checkpoints as assessed by the society.
BW Offshore and McDermott’s collaboration places conventional FPSO expertise alongside engineering and project delivery capability, reflecting a growing tendency to apply established offshore platforms to alternative‑fuel schemes. The MarineLink account links the partnership and the DNV endorsement directly, without detailing further technical specifications or schedules.
The report does not specify operational locations, commercial partners beyond the two developers, or timelines for development and deployment. It also does not provide figures for capacity, emissions performance, or cost; those details were not supplied in the MarineLink item cited in this account.
The DNV AiP for the FPSO concept represents a verification step within the design process as reported, and the article notes that the approval advances the goal of producing ammonia offshore with lower carbon intensity. The publication does not elaborate on subsequent certification steps or on how the approval will influence permitting, financing or contracting for any follow‑on phases.
MarineLink published the item on 2 October 2026, presenting the DNV endorsement as an important milestone for the concept developed by BW Offshore and McDermott. The short report frames the approval as moving the project forward without offering further documentary material or direct quotes in its summary.
The announcement underscores continued interest among offshore operators and engineering firms in exploring floating infrastructure for fuels beyond oil and gas. While MarineLink’s report is limited to the approval and the parties involved, the item will attract attention from observers tracking how established offshore technologies are being re‑applied to low‑carbon fuel production.
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