HD Hyundai Mipo: Construction begins on ‘world’s first’ oceangoing ammonia-powered vessel

January 7, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Mipo has cut the first steel for a 46,000 cbm liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier which will be equipped with an ammonia dual-fuel engine.

The ceremony took place in Ulsan on December 19, 2024, the shipbuilder revealed.

The vessel will be the first of four South Korea-built ammonia-powered ships ordered by Belgian shipping company EXMAR.

It is also part of a batch of six dual-fuel LPG/ammonia midsize gas carriers (MGCs) ordered by EXMAR through its joint venture with Seapeak. The ship sextet will be operated by the new entity EXMAR LPG France. The first two units were named at Hyundai Mipo on January 6, 2025.

EXMAR names first two dual-fuel 46,000 cbm gas carrier newbuilds

Vessels

Once completed, the newbuilding will feature a length of 190 meters, and a width of 30.4 meters. It will be equipped with three cargo holds capable of transporting up to 46,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas, including LPG and ammonia.

In particular, the ship will selectively use ammonia which does not emit any carbon dioxide when burned, as well as conventional diesel fuel. Moreover, it will be equipped with various eco-friendly technologies, such as a shaft generator that produces electricity by utilizing the rotating shaft of the propulsion engine, and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device.

In addition, a high level of safety is secured through various disaster prevention technologies such as a detection sensor that detects ammonia leaks in real-time, a water spray system that blocks external leaks at the source, and an ammonia release mitigation system.

Ammonia, an environmentally friendly carbon-free fuel, can be stored in pressurized tanks (about 8 bar) or low-temperature tanks (-33°C) without cryogenic technology, and when liquefied, it has a storage density 1.7 times higher than that of liquefied hydrogen (-253°C) in the same volume, making it suitable for large-scale, long-distance transportation and storage of hydrogen.

HD Hyundai Mipo, which delivered the ‘world’s first’ methanol-powered container carrier in 2023, plans to build the four EXMAR’s medium-sized ammonia-powered ships by 2026 and “lead the next generation of eco-friendly shipbuilding”.

“Together with HD Hyundai Shipbuilding affiliates, we will focus on securing new technologies to preempt future markets by actively utilizing our long-standing design and production experience and synergies,” an official from HD Hyundai Mipo said.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed at the 80th Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting in July last year to achieve decarbonization by reducing total greenhouse gases (GHG) from ships by 70% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 compared to 2008, and ammonia, which can be commercialized quickly, is attracting attention from the shipping industry as a next-generation eco-friendly fuel.