Fueling the future: KSB’s ammonia dual fuel MR tanker concept secures stamp of approval

South Korea’s shipbuilder K Shipbuilding (KSB) has recently received the go-ahead for an ammonia dual-fuel medium-range petrochemical carrier from the classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

As disclosed, the South Korean maritime industry player secured the green light via an approval in principle (AiP) from ABS on the 30th of last month.

According to the company, the MR tanker—a “core” vessel type for KSB—will be outfitted with the 6X52DF-A engine from the Swiss marine power company WinGD, which is slated to be commercialized for the first time this year. In addition to this, the ammonia fuel supply system was jointly developed with Swedish marine technology company Alfa Laval.

The maritime ‘powerhouse trio’ ABS, Alfa Laval and WinGD announced they would collaborate with K Shipbuilding on the creation of the tanker’s design back in April 2024 when the companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to mark the commencement of this partnership.

At that time, WinGD revealed it would deliver the fuel gas system specifications suitable for the vessel application and the selected engine, while Alfa Laval would deliver the ‘detailed’ documentation for the final fuel gas system design.

Concerning the engine itself, as per WinGD, the X52DF-A solution is the smallest bore size available in the Swiss player’s X-DF-A series—and the first one to be engineered. It is projected that the solution could have a sweeping application across bulk carriers, tankers as well as ammonia carriers, two of which have already been booked and are slated for a handover in early 2026.

As explained, the engine’s series has obtained approvals in principle from four classification societies, including ABS and France’s Bureau Veritas.

In a statement last year, Head of Marine Separation & Fuel Supply Systems at Alfa Laval Viktor Friberg reflected on the collaboration, sharing that partnerships were ‘essential’ for the maritime industry as it endeavors to achieve its ‘ambitious’ decarbonization targets and to support the fuel transition.

Speaking about the most recent development, a representative from KSB added, “We have continuously dedicated efforts to developing eco-friendly ships powered by LNG, methanol, and ammonia fuels. With this certification, we have expanded our design technology for eco-friendly dual-fuel ships.”

Back in 2022, the South Korean shipbuilder had previously developed an ammonia dual-fuel MR petrochemical carrier based on German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions’ (MAN ES) concept, earning an AiP from the UK’s classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR).

What is more, within the sphere of clean fuels, K Shipbuilding has made numerous strides over the past couple of years. In June 2022, LR gave the go-ahead to KSB’s design of a 7,700 TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered boxship.

Just a year later, the Korean Register (KR) greenlit a methanol dual-fuel MR tanker, jointly developed by KR, K Shipbuilding and equipment manufacturer S&SYS. More recently, namely in October 2024, the KSB-built Arctic Tern, a 50,000 dwt LNG dual-fuel MR tanker, was given the nod by LR.