South Korean shipyards receive ABS’ approval for ammonia ship designs

Classification society ABS has awarded approvals in principle (AiPs) to South Korean shipyards for their designs of a very large ammonia carrier and an ammonia-powered tanker.

At Posidonia 2024, ABS issued AiP to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the design of a midship section and cargo tank of a 96,000 cubic meter very large ammonia carrier.

Said to be among the largest in the world, the ammonia carrier design resulted from a joint development project that included the production of a 3D structural cargo hold model from SHI for review by ABS.

“The utilization of ammonia is anticipated to increase as industries move toward more sustainable energy sources, and shipping will have a critical role to play. By working with innovative clients like SHI on new carrier designs, ABS is playing an important part in the energy transition by supporting the safe and efficient transport of ammonia at sea,” said Vassilios Kroustallis, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Business Development.

“The development of the ammonia carrier is a significant step towards realizing our vision for a sustainable future. We will continue to pursue innovation to accelerate the advent of a carbon-free era and set the standard for future energy transportation,” added Haeki Jang, Executive Vice President and CTO of Samsung Heavy Industries.

Last year, SHI received AiP from Korean Register for a 200,000 cubic meter ultra-large ammonia carrier fueled by ammonia.

The second AiP was presented to HD Hyundai Mipo for a 50,000 dwt ammonia-powered tanker design proposal.

The vessel will feature an ammonia engine designed by WinGD and manufactured by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries – Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD), along with an ammonia fuel supply system developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) and an ammonia boiler designed by Kangrim Heavy Industries.

Dongjin-Lee, Head of Initial Design Division of HD Hyundai Mipo, explained that the certification is part of the shipbuilder’s efforts to develop new fuel ship types and lead in popularizing zero-carbon ammonia-powered ships.

To remind, HD Hyundai Mipo recently developed a standard ammonia dual-fuel propulsion ship that can transport 45,000 cubic meters of liquefied petroleum gas, ammonia, or vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) for which it received AiP from Norwegian classification company DNV.

In another recent milestone in enabling ammonia as an alternative marine fuel, ABS and Lloyd’s Register (LR) awarded AiP to a new ammonia-fueled 3,500 TEU container feeder vessel design presented by a cross-industry taskforce including A. P. Møller-Mærsk, MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech, ABS and LR led by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.

Posidonia 2024 also saw a new partnership gathering Greek shipowner Naftomar Shipping And Trading, South Korean shipbuilding major Hanwha Ocean, and classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) for the design development of a very large ammonia carrier (VLAC) with a focus on global safety aspects, specifically ammonia fuel supply system, leak detection, ammonia fuel containment, and ammonia bunkering.