Ammonia â the key to making long-haul shipping green Ammonia â the key to making long-haul shipping green Relatively simple adaptation could make the cargo ships of the future completely green. The technology is based on the chemical compound ammonia, some extensive number crunching and one or two engine modifications. Research is now being made with ammonia as fuel for long-haul shipping. The solution can give zero in greenhouse gas emissions. Illustration image: Shutterstock SINTEF research scientist Andrea Gruber crunches numbers, albeit with the help of the supercomputer âBetzyâ. A seemingly infinite string of calculations is now answering open scientific questions about how a widespread and long-established chemical substance -ammonia- may help the shipping industry to become climate-friendly.