Maersk Tankers has moved closer to converting four very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) to run on ammonia fuel after its retrofit proposal, known as RIPPLE, was selected for support under the European Union's Innovation Fund. The European Commission has invited the project to begin grant agreement preparations, though the funding amount has not yet been finalised. The RIPPLE project involves installing dual-fuel, two-stroke ammonia engines on four vessels within Maersk Tankers' expanding gas carrier fleet, which would mark the EU's first dual-fuel ammonia retrofit on a VLAC, according to the Commission's project description. The conversions and planned operations are expected to avoid more than 1,200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions over ten years. Maersk Tankers is building a fleet of ten 93,000 cu m VLACs at South Korea's HD Hyundai Samho, having re-entered the gas carrier sector in 2023 with an initial order of four ships followed by additional option exercises. The vessels were specified with the possibility of converting to ammonia propulsion, though installing the necessary engines has always depended on commercial and regulatory conditions. Maersk Tankers said any decision to proceed with the retrofits would depend on securing commercial commitments from customers. The Commission selected 77 projects under its latest Innovation Fund round, with final grant agreements expected to be determined during the first quarter of 2027.