DSME partners with McDermott’s firm to develop liquefied H2 carrier

South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) has partnered with CB&I, a unit of U.S. energy engineering and construction solutions provider McDermott, to develop technologies for a large liquid hydrogen carrier.

Under the agreement, the partners will collaborate in developing technologies to install large liquid hydrogen storage tanks on ships.

CB&I is a designer and builder of storage facilities, tanks and terminals. DSME noted that the US firm has manufactured the world’s largest liquid hydrogen storage tank. The storage tank was then provided to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

South Korean shipbuilder expects that the new business tie-up will contribute to making liquid hydrogen carriers larger since the demand for the marine transport of liquid hydrogen is projected to grow in the future.

“The combination of the DSME’s shipbuilding technologies with the CB&I’s storage tank know-how will likely help South Korean shipyards retain their top status in the field of large liquid hydrogen carriers,” a DSME official said, cited by Yonhap News Agency.

Recently, DSME revealed that it has surpassed its yearly target of $8.9 billion worth of orders currently standing at $9.4 billion. The orderbook backlog is predominantly driven by LNG demand pushing LNG carrier tally at DSME to a total of 34 construction projects secured this year.

DSME recently opened a test site for green and smart ship technologies.

The shipbuilder has been accelerating its research in the field over the past few years having invested significant efforts in the development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), lithium-ion batteries as well as a methanol steam reforming system for submarine fuel cells that uses methanol and water to produce high-purity hydrogen.