Anglo Eastern ran a dedicated pilot training course on ammonia as a marine fuel in November 2025, positioning it as part of a broader plan to build dual-fuel capability ahead of taking over ammonia-fuelled ships. The course design was driven by the operational timeline, the fuel’s toxicity and safety profile, and rising expectations from flag states, classification societies, and charterers that crews must be trained and certified for alternative fuel operations.

 

Training Focus Shifted from Knowledge to Behaviour

 

Course lead Aalok Sharma framed the hardest problem as converting high-consequence risk into teachable and assessable behaviour. The course emphasis was not simply understanding ammonia but internalising the discipline needed to operate safely when informal workarounds are unacceptable. The training aimed to build habits around vigilance, precision, clear stop-work thresholds, and explicit escalation, because ammonia requires much tighter tolerance for deviation than crews may be used to with conventional fuels and even LNG.

 

Scenario Assessment Was Used to Measure Judgement Rather Than Recall

 

To test whether a mindset shift had actually occurred, the course leaned on scenario-based assessments that forced trainees to make decisions under realistic pressure and explain why they acted as they did. The programme used structured debriefs to surface judgement, communication discipline, and risk perception, with instructors looking for evidence that trainees treated ammonia hazards as operationally decisive and not merely understood in theory.

 

Read more: Thor Offshore Windfarm Installs First Turbine as RWE Starts Buildout of Denmark’s Largest Project

 

Classroom and Practical Training Were Separated by Design

 

Sharma described a deliberate split between conceptual learning and execution practice. The classroom covered ammonia properties, regulatory context, system design philosophy, risk assessment, and the rationale behind procedures. Practical training was built around tasks that require repetition and sequencing, including PPE use, line connection and disconnection, leak recognition, communications protocols, emergency shutdown actions, and response drills, all of which were treated as skills that cannot be mastered through lectures.

 

A World First Bunkering Skid Created Controlled Realism

 

A central feature of the pilot was a purpose-built ammonia bunkering skid described as a world-first training asset. It allowed crews to experience hands-on bunkering steps in a controlled environment where technical complexity and human stress could be simulated without the uncontrolled risks of live operations. The intent was to expose small errors and coordination breakdowns that often remain invisible in classroom training, then use that experience to reinforce procedural discipline.

 

Feedback Drove Changes in Sequencing and Evaluation

 

Participant feedback highlighted that hands-on simulation was the most valuable part of the course because it revealed the gap between knowing procedures and executing them as a team. Anglo Eastern responded by adjusting module sequencing so practical exercises occurred earlier to break up classroom instruction and anchor theory in lived experience. Assessment was also revised to focus more strongly on decisions made under realistic conditions, with instructor prompts updated to draw out communication discipline rather than simple task completion.

 

What the Pilot Exposed About Industry Readiness

 

Sharma’s takeaway is that ammonia competency frameworks remain immature and inconsistent across the industry, creating uncertainty about what competence should look like, how it should be evidenced, and how certification should be standardised. He also pointed to unclear divisions of responsibility between operators, equipment manufacturers, and fuel suppliers, a gap that complicates training because competence expectations depend on where operational accountability sits in practice.

 

What Counts as Non Negotiable Readiness

 

Anglo Eastern defined readiness as more than technical familiarity, emphasising proof of safe behaviour under pressure. Crews must demonstrate understanding of ammonia hazards and the ability to execute protective measures such as PPE, gas detection use, and emergency shutdown procedures, supported by repeated practical drills that simulate failures and exposure scenarios. The programme also treats team coordination as essential, with readiness measured by the ability to communicate and act as a unified crew, followed by familiarisation exposure during yard visits before vessel takeover.